On Tuesday, 30 October 2018, a ceremony took place in Pedion tou Areos park for the 76th anniversary of the formation of the Sacred Band. The event was attended by the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Ms. Maria Kollia-Tsaroucha, his Beatitude, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece and primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece, Ieronymos II, the Chief of Hellenic Army General Staff, Lieutenant General Alkiviadis Stefanis, honorary Chiefs of General Staff, retired Officers, delegations from the Armed Forces, and crowds of people.

The Sacred Band was the precursor to the modern Hellenic Special Forces. It was named after the Sacred Band of Alexandros Ypsilantis, which was formed in March 1821 by volunteer students of the Greek communities in Europe, who fought to the last. Ypsilantis named his force after the Sacred Band of Thebes, one of the best fighting units of ancient Greece.

During the ceremony:

- The embalmed heart of Alexandros Ypsilantis was brought for the ceremony.

- The Member of the Sacred Band, Honorary Commanding General of the Hellenic First Army, Lieutenant General (ret.) Konstantinos Korkas attended the event. The 98-year-old veteran talked about his actions under Colonel Christodoulos Tsigantes during raids with the Sacred Band.

- The Deputy Minister of National Defence, Ms. Maria Kollia-Tsaroucha, awarded the green beret, the symbol of the Hellenic Special Forces, to Raider Gerasimos Tsigantes, who is currently serving his military duty. Raider Gerasimos Tsigantes is the great grandson of Colonel Christodoulos Tsigantes, founder of the Sacred Band, which was founded during WWII in the Middle East.

#ΕλληνικόςΣτρατός, #HellenicArmy, #ΕίμαστεΠερήφανοι, #WeAreProud