My privileged upbringing 

When I was fifteen growing up in the quiet, wealthy suburbs of Montreal, the most popular conversations going on were tennis and the upcoming lavish “sweet sixteen” parties at the Ritz Carlton. It was around that time that my father considered me mature enough to begin sharing with me about some of his experiences that he had, when he was fifteen growing up in Greece during World War II. 

The great famine and the Nazis 

He shared with me about how Greece suffered terrible privations in the Great Greek Famine. Hundreds of thousands of Greeks perished, especially in the winter of 1941–1942. In the mountains of the Greek mainland, in the meantime, several Greek resistance movements sprang up, which my father joined. By mid-1943, the Axis forces controlled only the main towns and the connecting roads, while a “Free Greece” was set up in the mountains. 

My father, the captain of resistance 

My father was chosen to be captain by the leader of the Greek resistance, Aris Velouhiotis, and led his men and women through many dangerous missions. One such mission was in collaboration with the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). It was in late summer 1942 as an effort to stem the flow of supplies through Greece to the German forces under Field Marshal Rommel in North Africa. The Cairo office of the SOE decided to send a sabotage team to cut the railway line connecting Athens with Thessaloniki, choosing several targets like Gorgopotamos Bridge. 

Facing death many times over 

The force available for the operation numbered 150 men. According to the plan, the attack was to take place at 23:00 on 25 November. Two teams of eight guerrillas were to cut the railway and telephone lines in both directions and cover the approaches to the bridge itself, while the main force of 100 guerrillas was to neutralize the garrison. The bridge was to be exploded. Many things went wrong and my father “faced his death” several times. 

Yet, the sabotage mission was a major success. It was the biggest such operation carried out until then, and it displayed the potential for major guerrilla actions in serving Allied strategic objectives—it encouraged SOE to aid the development of resistance movements, and provided a major morale boost for occupied Greece. 

My father’s courage as my inspiration 

At fifteen, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what my father had gone through. Yet in some mysterious way something was transferred to me and my sister through his stories. It left me with the conviction that, “If my father was courageous, then I must be too, it’s in my blood.” 

Standing on the shoulders of this giant, I felt both confident and courageous all my life; Every time I feel challenged , the memory of my father comes rushing in, saying to me, “Be strong and courageous Alkistis, you can do anything you set your mind to.” 

Even if years have passed since he died, that mysterious force is always inside me, connecting me to Courage. It’s like a “secret weapon” he has passed on to me. I can’t explain it. It’s just a feeling I have. His courage lives in me every single day, I feel unstoppable; sometimes it even intimidates people; they don’t understand my boldness. I have seen this look in their eyes: “Who does she think she is? Where does she get all this conviction and courage?” 

You may say it is a part of my Greek heritage to be courageous. As Winston Churchill said, “Hence, we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks.” Or, as Adolph Hitler grudgingly admitted “The Greek soldier, above all, fought with the most courage.” But I know it was my father’s example that instilled the virtue of courage (andreia) in me. 

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Alkistis Agio MA, PhD is an Executive coach & Trainer on confidence and leadership based in Athens, Greece.

 

 

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