The memory of the five officers who lost their lives in the helicopter crash in Kouklia on July 10, 2002, serves as a point of reference for the Republic of Cyprus and the NationalGuard, Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas said on Sunday during the annual religious memorial service.

“With their deaths, these five men sealed the covenant of honor they had made with their homeland, sacrificing the greatest good—their very lives—on the altar of duty and responsibility,” the Minister said in his commemorative address, praising the integrity, modesty, honor, and selfless service to the homeland of the late Commander of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Evangelos Florakis, the Commander of the Air Force Command, Air Vice Marshal Stylianos Demenegas, Major Paris Athanasiadis, Lieutenant Commander Nikolaos Georgiou, and Captain Michalis Siakallis.

“In July 2002, just a few moments were enough to plunge their families into mourning and deprive the National Guard of their invaluable contribution to the homeland, which they had sworn to defend until the very end,” Mr. Palmas noted.

He recalled that the helicopter they were aboard took off from Lakatamia Airport and headed toward the Andreas Papandreou Air Base in Paphos, with the aim of transporting the National Guard leadership to observe a nighttime exercise, which included flights by newly acquired helicopters, but under unclear circumstances, in an area near the village of Kouklia, the helicopter malfunctioned, causing a fire in the fuselage, and crashed, killing all five people on board.

“Your absence serves as a constant reminder of the burden and responsibility that accompany the mission of Cypriot and Greek officers,” the Minister noted. “In that final moment, your conduct clearly and indisputably epitomized the concept of military responsibility and reminds all of us that military service is not merely a duty,  but a lasting commitment to our homeland and the history of our country,” he added.

“No other symbol, apart from the five eagles that dominate your monument, could better capture your lives and your sacrifice, or serve as a reminder of our own duty and responsibility toward our homeland,” he continued, noting that “they symbolize your enduring presence in the skies above our homeland—five vigilant sentinels who continue to remind us that the freedom, security, and dignity of the Republic of Cyprus are always grounded in a readiness for service and sacrifice.”

“It remains, then, for us to renew our own promise that we will continue to serve our homeland with the same determination, worthy of the legacy you have left us,” concluded Mr. Palmas, emphasizing that “in an era when principles and values are being shaken and the concept of service is often redefined, your legacy highlights the importance of consistency, discipline, and dedication to duty as enduring values that must be upheld.”

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Source: CNA