Remembering Oxi Day in Washington D.C. by Honoring People of Courage and Service to Humanity

By NEO Magazine on December 14, 2017

The Washington Oxi Day Foundation held its 7th Annual Celebration of Oxi courage, past and present, in Washington, DC on October 25-27, 2017.

L to R: National Endowment for Democracy President Carl Gershman, Oxi Day Foundation Board Member Jim Chanos, Oxi Courage Award recipient Ji Seong-ho, Metropolitan Chrysostomos Award recipient Bruce Mosler, Foundation President Andy Manatos

At the main event, North Korean defector Ji Seng-ho and leading voice against Islamist extremism Ayaan Hirshi Ali received the Oxi Courage Award for their David-vs-Golliath courage against the great evils of today, in the spirit of what the Greeks did in WWII. Leading humanitarian Bruce Mosler received the Metropolitan Chrysostomos Award for his efforts to fight antisemitism and discrimination. US Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin introduced Mosler, history-making US Olympic Gold Medalist Helen Maroulis introduced Hirsi Ali and National Endowment for Democracy President Carl Gershman introduced Seong-ho.

L to R: Ambassador of Greece to the US Haris Lalacos, Jim Chanos, US Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, Bruce Mosler, Andy Manatos, Helen Maroulis

Washington Oxi Day Foundation Board Members Jim Chanos and Nicholas Logothetis, as well as Foundation President Andy Manatos also delivered remarks.

Foundation Executive Director Mike Manatos, Ji Seong-ho, Jaharis Service Award recipient Peter Vlachos, US Ambassador of Greece to the US Haris Lalacos

Earlier in the day, at the National World War II Memorial, the Foundation honored a Greek, an American and a Greek-American WWII veteran with its Greatest Generation Award: Greek-American George Possas, former US Senator Daniel Inouye and Eleftherios Smyrniotopoulos. The Jaharis Service Award was presented to Peter Vlachos for his service in the Korean War and, in the spirit of Michael Jaharis, his service to the Greek-American community, our country and the world.

WWII veteran George Possas and his daughter Denise Possas Bocchicchio

Activities began with a reception at the Greek Ambassador’s residence on October 25 and ended with a wreath laying ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetary’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on October 27 in honor of those who lost their lives in WWII when Greece said OXI to surrender.

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