Rick's Blog

Daily Outtakes: Two local receive Presidential medals

coffee morning

Supreme President Savas Tsivicos announced today that AHEPA will be presenting two Presidential Service Medals to 2 individuals in the Pensacola AHEPA Chapter on November 11, 2024 during the Veterans Day Ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Park of Pensacola.

The Order of AHEPA is honoring two of our members, Mr. George “Doc” Dodge and Mr. Joe O’Neil, who exemplify the Order’s mission and have served for decades in the Pensacola area. Both our honorees will be awarded the Presidential Service Medal for Volunteerism, which is an authorized White House medal.

Dig Deeper: Each year, the Pensacola AHEPA Chapter assists in the annual Veterans Day Parade and other events celebrating the time-honored salute to our Veterans.

Tsivicos stated, “We are so proud of our Pensacola Chapter for its decades-long service to the community and especially for its devotion and support of the annual Veterans Day parade.”

The Order of AHEPA was founded in 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia, on the principles that undergirded its fight for civil rights and against discrimination, bigotry, and hatred felt at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan; AHEPA is the largest and oldest grassroots association of American citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes with more than 400 chapters across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

At our core, we advocate promoting the ancient Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism. The AHEPA, with its over 500 chartered chapters across the globe, works to promote community service in the neighborhoods it serves.

“AHEPA has stood by our service men and women since its inception, and we could not be prouder of the hard work and service it provides in our communities,” stated Supreme President Saves C. Tsivicos.

We celebrate our veterans today. In 2010, Sena Maddison wrote about the U.S. Army bringing home the body of her great-uncle, who was shot down over Europe during WWI.

Bringing Bobby Home

I have always had Bobby’s wings. I don’t remember when my father, Harry Maddison, gave me Bobby’s wings…I wore them a lot in the 1980s when it was stylish to wear paramilitary wear. I had boyfriends who served our country, and I was proud that Bobby died for his country. I took them out before I left for his funeral and held them. My father gave the wings to me so I would understand Bobby’s sacrifice. It was for my father, and because of my father, that I went to Bobby’s funeral.

On Sept. 18, 2010, the United States Army made right what went wrong in my family 66 years ago. Read  more.

Exit mobile version