The blood toll of the Aegean guards is heavy: 162 dead in peacetime

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The Air Force alone mourns 162 casualties in the line of duty from 1971 to date.

Today marks 27 years since the crisis in Imia, a crisis that will always remind us of the delicate balances in the Aegean with an unpredictable neighbor, but also of the dangers inherent in the constant tension with Turkey.

The blood toll of the Greek armed forces on the altar of constant vigilance is heavy, with 162 of their officers having lost their lives in the line of duty in the last 5 decades or so.

Early morning of January 31, 1996.

The Imian crisis has brought Greece and Turkey literally to the brink of war.

At 4.30 in the morning, a Navy helicopter departs from the Navarino frigate for western Imia.

Staff preparations for a possible engagement began to be ordered.

Returning to the frigate the helicopter is lost in the sea.

Christodoulos Karathanasis, Panagiotis Vlahakos and Hector Gialopsos, fall in the line of duty defending the homeland.

The continuous provocations of Turkey against our country, put the officers of the Armed Forces on constant vigilance.

The price is high.

The Air Force alone mourns 162 casualties in the line of duty from 1971 to date.

As soon as the alarm goes off, they are on the front line without a second thought.

The Greek pilots of the Air Force and the Navy train hard every day…. To defend the ethers of our country.

They are the guardians of the Aegean. Devoted to the country and committed above all to their mission despite the dangers with self-sacrifice, determination and courage.

With the same principles and feelings, Lieutenant Commander Marios – Michael Touroutsikas and Squadron Leader Efstathios Tsitlakidis started yesterday from the base of Andravida with the fatal Phantom.

The battle that Air Force men fight every day is dangerous but their courage always prevails.

They are always ready to spread their wings for our own safety.

Whether they pilot an F-16, or an F-4, or a Mirage, or a Rafale. The message is common:

Deterrence and zero tolerance for threats against national sovereignty and our sovereign rights. At any cost!

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