http://www.heraldargus.com/archives/fascinating-story-of-chicago-native-s-survival/article_feac51e8-31ad-576b-8694-5a2c92dd53ee.html

Chicago offers a great place for exploring personal stories of heroes. One of them is John Giannaris …

Just after midnight, June 16, 1944, a United States Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) approached the west coast of Greece. The 23 men aboard were on a secret mission to sabotage Nazi efforts in Greece.

The men signaled to Greek guerillas, or "andartes," on shore. Minutes later a Greek man in a small boat came to greet them. "Yassas!" he called: "Health to all of you!"

"Yassou!" commanding officer John Giannaris replied. ("Health to you! ") Giannaris, and all but one man in his Greek battalion, spoke fluent Greek. They were Greek-Americans who were among the few selected for this dangerous mission.

They had a choice to accept or deny the mission, and were told to expect 95 percent casualties. These men accepted the mission, proud to protect their parents' or grandparents' homeland, while thwarting Nazi war efforts.

John Giannaris's parents were from Greece. Giannaris grew up in Chicago, in the old Greek Town, near Lawrence and Western. In 1942 he joined the United States Army. By June 1944, he was a commanding officer stepping on Greek soil for the first time. He led his men into the highlands. They lived off the land, and off the generosity of poor villagers along the way, until they arrived at their base in Papas, a tiny village about 100 miles northwest of Athens.

Immediately Giannaris and his men began blowing up train tracks along routes vital to Nazi transport. They attacked Nazi-occupied trains and truck convoys.

By this point in the war, Nazis wanted to leave Greece and join forces in France and Germany. Giannaris and his men thwarted their attempts. Each time they went into areas heavily guarded by Nazis.

By Sept. 1944, Giannaris and his men destroyed three Nazi train locomotives, six trucks, and 8,000 yards of railroad tracks. They blew up a bridge. They killed or wounded 675 Nazis.

Despite the prediction, this Greek battalion suffered no casualties, until September 8, 1944.

On a mission to attack a railroad line, Fifth Grade Michalis Tsirmulas was hit by Nazi machine gun fire. Gianarris ordered his men to evacuate. He went to check Tsirmulas. While doing so, Gianarris stepped on a land mine. He was torn up along his entire backside and limbs. Shards of metal were lodged in him.

Giannaris crawled all night and most the next day, hiding from Nazis he came upon, until he found Greek children who made a makeshift stretcher and carried him to a village where a doctor cleaned him up.

But Giannaris needed much more care. Women carried him from village to village, passing him along until they reached an airfield, where he needed a plane to take him to a hospital in Italy.

A message was sent to allies in Italy: "Commanding officer severely wounded. Twelve hours to live unless he receives blood and expert medical attention."

It was raining. Conditions were dangerous for flying. British Flight Officer Norman Attenborrow volunteered to take the chance. He flew over, picked up Lt. Gianarris and brought him to Italy. Giannaris was rushed to the 34th British Field Hospital where he was given transfusions.

Giannaris since tried several times to write Officer Attenborrow to thank him. His letters were all returned undelivered.

In 1990, Ginnaris was not only able to contact Attenborrow, he met him. I'll tell you about that next time.

The Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center, in the Greek Islands Building at 801 W. Adams, has a small "Remembering Generations" exhibit honoring the involvement of Greeks and Greek Americans in the American Wars.

For museum hours and information, visit hellenicmuseum.org or call (312) 655-1234.