Guest Talks About Time In Greek Army - Cover Down 

You were listed as a Greek American returning to Greece in order to do his military service as a Greek national, this is why you only served for 7 months. I served from 1984 to 1987 as a reserve officer and at the time the service time was 22 months for the Army soldiers and 28 months for reserve officers. If a recruit's father had died, he was entitled a reduced service of 12 months. Also Greeks who lived abroad and did not returned for military service, were allowed to be exempt by buying their time in the Greek army after a certain age. Today the military service is only 12 months and one can lower it to 9 months if he chooses to stay for the duration of his service time in a border zone unit, or if he was entitled reduced service for other reasons. They do not select soldiers for different branches based on your home's location, but they are selecting based on studies or profession, the recruitment period of the year and the needs of the service. In my time we had to go through a selection board during the last year of high school, but the ones that get a deferment for university studies are reselected based on their field of studies. When I was originally selected for service in 1977, I was assigned as a medium tank gunner. However when I returned from my studies in the US, with a mechanical engineering degree, I was re-assigned to the Service Corps as tank FCS technician and later after going through reserve officers training, my specialty was vehicle technician (there were two fields of specialty for service corps reserve officers: Vehicle and Electronics Technicians, based on their university degrees). A cousin of mine was a dentist and after his deferment ended, he served in the medical corps. Most people however go to the Infantry. In order to go for Reserve Officer training, or serve in the Greek Special Forces you need to state it when you enlist for BT. The unit that a soldier transfers after BT, is usually as close as possible to his village home, because the Army prefers to have soldiers acquainted with the region they serve as much as this is possible. However people from large cities like Athens, serve wherever unit requirements need them to go. It used to be that some people were selected for BT in Air Force or Navy training centers for a 24 month service (when in the Army was 22 months). Later they made the Navy an all volunteer professional force, but recently they started getting some recruits again.

Its not an absolute rule that your origin defines the branch you will serve. I was born and raised in Piraeus which along with neighbouring islands of Hydra Aegina Salamis and Poros usually the male population goes to navy. Two of my cousins despite their studies preferred not to use their studies and credentials and they were drafted to the Navy. One of them in a FRIGATE the other in a submarine. But because I studied an engineer and always had a crush for planes I applied for Airforce and along with my credentials I was accepted in HAF ( Hellenic AirForce) as a conscript engineer in Mirage 2000's where I was trained in a school for 3 months there and can be used as an assistant engineer as other 11 of my series. In the same way other 12 guys were trained as conscript assistant engineers in F-16's. But none could manage to escape the duty in the kitchen or in toilets or in collecting garbages as your guest there did 😅😅😅😅. I think that he served only 7 months as a protector ( protector in one family is the first born if his dad is very old in age or disabled or dead) because he had also a younger brother who served 12 months. Lucky them in my era we did 20 months, actually 19 and some days as we had saved some days of from blood donation or provided great services in the core. So after 19 months and a week or 10 days I got my absence leaves and then returned to be honourably discharged.

Greetings from Greece. The army has changed a lot since then. However It is still mandatory for all males to serve.

everyone can volunteer for the green berets in Greece....i was one of them

Military service is the highest honor a civilian came have by serving their country or their host country. I gave the Hellenic Forces 24 months as a tank crew commander and the US Army 20th Special Forces Group, Alabama National Guard 10 years as the A team weapons sergeant. Never regret a minute of it

My husband served in Cyprus in an era when the tensions between Cyprus (and Greece) where extremely high and we almost went to war. He served 12 months and under one of the craziest commander ever in the Greek military. The guy was in the borders with Turkey and due to tensions (yet again) he went in alone and whipped out the guard cutting their ears and taking them as souvenirs.

As a Greek it is always nice to see the diaspora rejoin for their service. I remember how fun it was to server with some Greek immigrants. P.S. What Nikos probably didn't know is that there is also the national guard which are voluntary corps that any reserve soldier can join. They have training and combat exercises once a week and some of them also serve as guards and patrols on some outposts. Overall the national guard is a lot more militarized and focused because people that join have a clear purpose and conviction.

For us the Greeks who leave in Greece ... we can not pay.. we must serve

308 here 2009

I was Σειρα 208.

Interesting!!!!!!

Is he an immigrant or the son of an immigrant? He sounds 100% American to me...

I couldn't wait to be enlisted and serve. I came to realise that all the stories I had heard were true. The biggest disappointment and the second most wasted time of my life.

That’s true pay to get discharged , like me volunteering in 89 and I disappeared

I grow up in New Jersey from the age 9 to 19 and came back to Greece in 1991 at the age of 19 , I came in June 20 and by May 21 I joined the Greek special forces' actually the Greek marines 575 battalion it was the experience of a life time.....

Village = Horio, Χωριό