ΟΧΙ

 

83 years ago we were forced to fight a war we had never wished for. Our small country with outdated armed forces, obsolete arms and no means had to defend itself from an empire with the most advanced military equipment at that time, and a mighty power of hundreds of thousands heavily armed troops that they could just walk through!

 

There was only one answer against fascism and that answer was heard loud and clear: OXI ( = No)! Italy had ten times the fire-power of Greece and overwhelming land, air and sea superiority. But we won. We won spiritually, psychologically and practically in the extreme cold mountainous fields of Northern Epirus, nowdays in Albania. It was the first defeat of the Axis powers and the first liberation of territory captured by the Axis powers.

 

The price paid from both sides was high. There is nothing good at war. No greatness, no pride, no honour! History is full of it. History is written with blood, sweat and tears...

 

We all know that people make the same mistakes again and again, because they never really learn. Sooner or later we will have to defend once more our small homeland from turkish nationalism and islamofascism and we shall prevail again, because we will be defending not only ourselves but what is fair and just!

 

Till then, we will be commemorating our grandfathers who fought and sacrificed themselves for our freedom, and we will preserve their spirit as their legacy to us and to all mankind!