Friends & Foes

In the wake of Operation Sindoor and the horrific Pahalgam massacre, it is high time to identify steadfast friends and unmask those who stand against us, writes Maj. Gen. Atanu Patnaik (R)

- Maj. Gen. Atanu Patnaik (R)

I met Dimitris at the post exchange (PX) of Fort Rucker, Alabama, USA on Day 1 of my combat helicopter Advance Course in April 1997. Dimitris was a Captain from Greek Army Aviation, flying Apache attack helicopter. I flew French origin light helicopter Alouette, renamed Cheetah back home. Both were stocking up on provisions for our one-room apartments for the scheduled six-months-long stay. The carts were piled high, he having picked up crates of wine and beer and me, some native American Jim Beam whiskey, among other things.

At the check-out counter, Dimitris suddenly frowned and tossed out a stylish bush shirt he had carefully selected and tried on. As we left the premises and loaded up our cars, I asked him about his actions at the checkout. He blurted out, "I cannot even touch a Turkish product, forget about wearing one." With my limited global exposure (then already 35-years-old, this was my first foreign trip) and scant understanding of geopolitics, I was left confused. Not wanting to expose my ignorance, I nodded knowingly.

Back in my apartment, I dived deeper into Turkish-Greek relations. Modern Greece was formed after its declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire in the 1830s. Turkey was proclaimed a republic in 1923 following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WW-I. Both NATO allies, they have long standing rivalry over Cyprus apart from control of the eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean seas. Dimitris comes from Greece's second-largest city Thessaloniki, site of Atatürk's birthplace, and understands the sentiments. Like all proud and patriotic Greeks, Dimitris boycotts all things Turkish.