Stories That Never Get Old
By Nasos Angouras
I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to visit my family in Greece annually until 2019, the year of my great grandfather’s passing. I have not returned since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but this has not prevented me from recalling my great grandfather’s countless stories of his youth.
As a teenager, my great grandfather endured the Nazi occupation of Greece during World War II. He was only 17 when it began, and at first it seemed unfathomable that the war would soon implicate the world’s greatest powers. With the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War of the present day suspensefully looming over our heads, many have questioned whether this conflict could also spark a World War. For me, this thought was a reminder of my great grandfather’s stories, and especially of the vile conditions which he had described.
In his wartime tales, my great grandfather recalled how his family would rely on British supply drops to survive. Sugar–a commodity we take for granted nowadays–was a rarity during this struggle, and he would often steal this luxury from the baklava store. He further recalled how he wore the same pair of woolen socks for nearly two years, and claimed that they held their shape much like shoes from all the dirt that accumulated in them. Perhaps he was exaggerating just to pique my interest, but his point still stands.
After the war, celebrations were short lived as Greece’s economy was left in turmoil. This diminished the country’s postwar optimism, but my great grandfather wouldn’t let it get to him. He continued to be the most satisfied, upbeat man I had ever met, despite having lived through the unthinkable at the young age of 17.
My grandfather, the son-in-law of my great grandfather, was even younger when World War II hit. At just 7 years old, his stories were remarkably more gruesome. The image of twelve Greeks who were hanged by Nazis in the town square remains branded in his memory to this day. One fateful day at the local farm, my grandfather and his family spotted smoke clouds in the direction of their village. When they hurried home, they discovered the source of the smoke was none other than their own house. It had been set ablaze by the Nazis, and it swiftly burned to the ground along with all their life savings and belongings. Being in a war-torn country with nowhere else to turn to, it was only reasonable that they try their hand at the American Dream. In the land of freedom and opportunity, my grandfather was able to start a new life for himself and his family. Though he faced financial hardships and segregation, he ultimately overcame his past and worked hard to thrive and succeed in life.
As a teenager living comfortably in California, it was frankly difficult to relate to the stories of my grandfather and my great grandfather. Regardless, there is one thing I have gathered from them: with perseverance, we can overcome any hardship. Times have taken a turn for the worst ever since the pandemic surfaced in 2019, and with the added global tensions of the war in Ukraine, the likelihood of history repeating itself is worth considering. Regardless of what the near future holds, the stories reassure me that we can survive anything together, and it is up to us to overcome what might lie ahead.