H. Res. 228
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
March 13, 2007.
Whereas the ancient Greeks developed the concept of democ-
racy, in which the supreme power to govern was vested 
in the people; 
Whereas the Founding Fathers of the United States drew 
heavily on the political experience and philosophy of an-
cient Greece in forming our representative democracy; 
Whereas Greek Commander in Chief Petros Mavromichalis, a 
founder of the modern Greek state, said to the citizens 
of the United States in 1821 that ‘‘it is in your land that 
liberty has fixed her abode and . . . in imitating you, we 
shall imitate our ancestors and be thought worthy of 
them if we succeed in resembling you’’; 
Whereas Greece played a major role in the World War II 
struggle to protect freedom and democracy through such 
bravery as was shown in the historic Battle of Crete, 
which provided the Axis land war with its first major set-
back, setting off a chain of events that significantly af-
fected the outcome of World War II; 
Whereas the price for Greece in holding our common values 
in their region was high, as hundreds of thousands of ci-
vilians were killed in Greece during World War II;
•HRES 228 EH 
Whereas throughout the 20th century, Greece was one of only 
three countries in the world, other than the former Brit-
ish Empire, that allied with the United States in every 
major international conflict; 
Whereas President George W. Bush, in recognizing Greek 
Independence Day, said, ‘‘Greece and America have been 
firm allies in the great struggles for liberty. Americans 
will always remember Greek heroism and Greek sacrifice 
for the sake of freedom . . . [and] as the 21st Century 
dawns, Greece and America once again stand united; this 
time in the fight against terrorism. The United States 
deeply appreciates the role Greece is playing in the war 
against terror. . . . America and Greece are strong allies, 
and we’re strategic partners.’’; 
Whereas President Bush stated that Greece’s successful ‘‘law 
enforcement operations against a terrorist organization 
[November 17] responsible for three decades of terrorist 
attacks underscore the important contributions Greece is 
making to the global war on terrorism’’; 
Whereas Greece is a strategic partner and ally of the United 
States in bringing political stability and economic devel-
opment to the volatile Balkan region, having invested 
over $10 billion in the region; 
Whereas Greece was extraordinarily responsive to requests by 
the United States during the war in Iraq, as Greece im-
mediately granted unlimited access to its airspace and 
the base in Souda Bay, and many ships of the United 
States that delivered troops, cargo, and supplies to Iraq 
were refueled in Greece;
•HRES 228 EH 
Whereas in August 2004, the Olympic games came home to 
Athens, Greece, the land of their ancient birthplace 2,500 
years ago and the city of their modern revival in 1896; 
Whereas Greece received world-wide praise for its extraor-
dinary handling during the 2004 Olympics of over 14,000 
athletes from 202 countries and over 2 million spectators 
and journalists, which it did so efficiently, securely, and 
with its famous Greek hospitality; 
Whereas the unprecedented security effort in Greece for the 
first summer Olympics after the attacks on the United 
States on September 11, 2001, included a record-setting 
expenditure of over $1,390,000,000 and assignment of 
over 70,000 security personnel, as well as the utilization 
of an eight-country Olympic Security Advisory Group 
that included the United States; 
Whereas Greece, located in a region where Christianity meets 
Islam and Judaism, maintains excellent relations with 
Muslim nations and Israel; 
Whereas the Government of Greece has had extraordinary 
success in recent years in furthering cross-cultural under-
standing and reducing tensions between Greece and Tur-
key; 
Whereas Greece and the United States are at the forefront 
of the effort for freedom, democracy, peace, stability, and 
human rights; 
Whereas those and other ideals have forged a close bond be-
tween Greece and the United States and their peoples; 
Whereas March 25, 2007, the National Day of Celebration of 
Greek and American Democracy, marks the 186th anni-
versary of the beginning of the revolution that freed the 
Greek people from the Ottoman Empire and celebrates
•HRES 228 EH 
the aspirations for democracy that the peoples of Greece 
and the United States share; and 
Whereas it is proper and desirable for the United States to 
celebrate this anniversary with the Greek people and to 
reaffirm the democratic principles from which these two 
great nations were born: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) extends warm congratulations and best wishes 
to the people of Greece as they celebrate the 186th anni-
versary of the independence of Greece; 
(2) expresses support for the principles of demo-
cratic governance to which the people of Greece are com-
mitted; and 
(3) notes the important role that Greece has played 
in the wider European region and in the community of 
nations since gaining its independence 186 years ago. 
Attest:
Clerk.