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"Daily Order of 338 Fighter/Bombardment Squadron"
with number 137 of July 19, 2019".

Mr. Commander of the 117th Combat Wing, Officers, NCOs, enlisted personnel of the 338th Squadron, dear guests.

Today, in execution of a relevant order from the General Staff, I hand over the duties of Commander of the 338th Squadron N/B to Lieutenant Colonel (I) Dimitrios Sakorafas, completing a conscious choice, a twenty-one-year career on the front line, in the field of "decisive action"! A field that no matter what description one attempts, will be lacking. For this reef, Poetry is the only way: "This world, the small, the great"! writes Odysseas Elytis.

The same poet also spares me from describing the multitude of emotions that are overwhelming me at this moment, touching on the culmination of my fleeting life:
"The blood of love has turned me purple
and unseen joys overshadowed me
I oxidized in the south of people
My distant mother rose, amaranth.
And Manos Eleftheriou will tell us, "woe to him who, as Fate and the years have brought him, does not listen to a poet"!

And the most amazing "poet" I have met over the years is the staff of the 338th Squadron. I am proud to have been a member of this team. Despite the difficult times, you continue to work towards the realization of the Headquarters' Mission, with great zeal and often at personal and family cost, which I have always taken into account in my decisions.

The choice of the Leadership to command the Squadron was an exceptional honor which, immediately, I put aside and focused on the concept of responsibility I was assuming towards you. From the first moment of assuming my duties, I made clear the boundaries within which we would move. Above all, was the awareness of the role and responsibility of each of us. I did not accept confusion of roles and did not ask for the assumption of responsibility beyond that provided for in the institutional texts and in the orders of the Service. Where there had to be a risk, I assumed it, knowing that the consequences end up only on me.

I did the same with the external communication of the Squadron. At the time of decisions, I listened carefully to everyone's opinions, but I did not adopt them in the absence of counter-arguments. I never accepted their imposition, for reasons of tacticism. The foreseen institutional role, as derived from the Material Organization Tables, was and remains my guide.

And, "without bringing shame on Athens", I will say that when the time comes to assume responsibility, it is almost certain that those who do not have an institutional role in decisions choose neutrality. For us, those who have institutional responsibility, there is no better description than Dante's verses: "The brightest spot in hell is reserved for those who, in moments of crisis, wanted to be neutral."

And Plutarch will immediately grab the baton to instruct us laconically: "Let your words be equal to your weapons."

This strategic quote was present in our daily friction, when I demanded from all of you to emphasize detail. Because, it is what sets us apart and leads us to the excellent completion of the Mission. For this reason, I chose persuasion over imposition. Imposition is the easy way in a military environment. However, it is not enough. Persuasion, which leads to conscious thoughts and actions, is the power multiplier of the Squadron and the entire PA structure. And if I exhausted all the margins of leniency, in cases of human weaknesses, where lack of awareness met the overblown sense of personal value, it is because, deep down, I believe that the benefit for the whole is enormous when, even if slowly, a “Saul” becomes a “Paul”.

Along with that, I kept pointing out what I realized on my first flight: "Innocence is no excuse."

There is no room for complacency in our profession. Foresight and prevention. From the first to the last in the Combat Squadron. Our minds are always on the worst-case scenario, along with solidarity with our colleagues. In all kinds of work.

And when we come first, when we excel, and even more so when we lead, let us keep in mind that: "It is very easy to be first, but very difficult to be the best."
There should be no complacency. Far be it from us to be the "idea of ​​the learned philosopher," who thinks he possesses "all of knowledge." Socrates points out to us the "infiniteness of knowledge" with his phrase, "I know nothing, but I know nothing."

Let us keep this, along with everything else, and especially the two "thrones", of dignity and freedom, which I spoke to you about in my Agenda for taking office.
"Exesti Klazomenios aschimoneis", we will say to those who pollute them and who are always counted on the fingers of one hand. And here, in the "cell", in the Combat Squadron, there are the antibodies for the self-regulation of the entire PA Organization. We remain committed to our Mission. To the Oath we took to the Homeland.

ΙPilot and Technical personnel of the 338 Squadron.
With these resources, I ask you to continue and support your new Commander with the same fervor that you did with me.

Dear friend and classmate Dimitris, I am particularly happy to hand over the Command of the 338th Squadron to you. I know your abilities and even more your concerns and intentions, as we were nurtured together in this field, from the first day we flew the F-4. I wholeheartedly wish you good strength and always success in your work.

You are taking over a Squadron, where its Flying and Technical personnel are composed of excellent professionals. During my time in Command, many times, I had what I wanted before I had time to ask for it. There is no greater satisfaction for a Commander of a Combat Squadron, to know that its living material is fully prepared and declares its presence in the defense of the rights of our Homeland. "Aien Ypsikratein", "Aien excels and excels above others", 338 Squadron!

At this point, I want to express my satisfaction and warm thanks for the significant assistance provided to me by my direct collaborators:
To the Operations Officer, Lieutenant (I) Dimitrios Kotsalos.
To the Chief Engineer, Engineer (MA) Alexandros Kokkonis.
To the Flying and Technical Commanders of the Squadrons.

At the same time, I would like to highlight the contribution of the other Squadrons of the 117th Combat Wing in assisting the Squadron's work. And not only that. I wonder, really, "who packs my parachute"? Who takes care of the moments when I will be all alone?

Gentlemen, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the kind cooperation and please convey to your staff, to the unsung heroes of the Airport, my appreciation for the support they provide to the 338 Squadron.

Commander of the 117th Fighter Wing.
I express my warm thanks to you for the continuous assistance that your Administration has provided me over the last two months, as a continuation of the former Administration under Major (I) Georgios Giapitzis.

I thank the 338 Squadron, which, as another "Mistress", accepted me into its bosom and manned me in its embrace, in the years of the best youth, with "Good Fortune".
Finally, I would like to thank my other "Three Lovers" for their tolerance. My wife and two daughters. I hope they understood my conscious choice.

Love stories like "Flight", one of the "crowns of human achievements", do not appear to everyone and forever. They leave deep imprints in the memory. Joy, excitement, freedom, awe, pride, humility, respect, love, sadness, courage, prudence but also madness! And how many more... And they all forge you.

Such mistresses, however, also leave mud in the eyes! A moment of silence for the "Apontes", of today's Invitation. Along with them, I will also commemorate my classmate Dimitrios Agiasofitis. He fell for the Fatherland, in May 2000, with an A-7 Corsair . . .

Time is a charmer! But we aviators chase the moment! The nature of the Air Force is violent. We have one moment to set the sights on the target! One moment is offered to us for the shot! Success and failure, victory and defeat walk together and a thread unites them. And the “God of machines” does not appear to redeem us… in “Air the Tragedy”.

I had told you that the successes are yours and the failures are mine. We responded to all the challenges. We received many congratulations. At home and abroad. The final report is yours. However, in brief, I must mention the serious work accident that the Squadron had last December. Let it remain a milestone reminder of the debt of the elders to the younger ones. And let our joy, for the happy ending, be transformed into vigilance, for the danger that lurks in our area.

In the few minutes I have left with you, the Akrites are coming to steal them from me! The visit to the Pomak High School Boys' Squadron of Sminthis together with their teachers showed us that, in times of crisis of ideals, there are people in whose blood Greece "flows".

ΑWe concluded the visit with a flyover, above their School, where they welcomed us with the Greek Flags. A flight that, I believe, is as worthy as all the other flying work we carried out together. We are grateful and proud.

And Cavafy, more relevant than ever, for them:
"Honor to those who, in their lives, have grown to guard Thermopylae"
"…And they deserve more honor when they predict that Ephialtes will appear at the end, and the Medes will finally pass by."
And I, now far from you, Men and Women of "my Fate", will boast to you of assuring them:
"We will be there. The Medes will not pass!"

And I will continue to reminisce:
The 338th Squadron . . . The Distant Mother . . . My Rose the Amaranth.

Lieutenant Colonel (I) Panagiotis Nousias
Commander of 338 Squadron