Hellenic Force in Cyprus The Hellenic ( Greek ) Force in Cyprus ( ) , commonly known in its abbreviated form as ELDYK or EL . DY . K . ( , ) , is the permanent Greek military force stationed in Cyprus . Its role is to help the Cypriot National Guard . History of ELDYK . ELDYK was formed on November 20 , 1959 at Agios Stefanos , Athens , soon after the Zürich and London Agreement s established the independence of Cyprus . Per the subsequent Treaty of Guarantee , Greece , along with Turkey and the United Kingdom , would be the new state ' s guarantor powers . To that end , the permanent presence of a small military detachment from both Greece and Turkey was authorized , in addition to the British military presence in the Sovereign Base Areas . It was established a Tripartite Headquarter of Greece , Turkey and Cyprus . In this headquarter belonged the Hellenic Force in Cyprus with 950 men and the Turkish Force in Cyprus ( , ) with 650 men , as it was agreed in the Zürich and London Agreement . ELDYK at Cyprus ( until 1974 ) . On August 16 , 1960 , the day that Cyprus became officially independent , ELDYK soldiers and officers disembarked at Famagusta from the Greek Landing Ship Tanks " LIMNOS " ( ) and " ALIAKMON " ( ) , the total force was 950 men . The first commander of ELDYK was Colonel Dionysios Arbouzis , a distinguished officer who had already led the Greek Expeditionary Force in Korea . Its camp were established west of Nicosia at the Gerolaκkos or Yerolakkos area , next to the camp of the Turkish Force in Cyprus . The camp was destroyed during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus at 1974 . Violence between the two communities ( Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots ) . On December 1963 serious riots and violence broke out between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots , the generalization of the conflict and the involvement of the Hellenic Force of Cyprus and Turkish Force of Cyprus avoided after the intervention of the United Kingdom . On March 1964 the ELDYK ' s Sergeant First Class Sotirios Karagiannis died during some riots . On May 1964 the Major Dimitrios Poulios and Captain Vasileios Kapotas murdered at the Turkish Cypriot district of Famagusta , Captain Panagiotis Tarsoulis injured . Their driver , police officer Konstantinos Pantelidis murdered too . Turkish invasion of Cyprus ( 1974 ) . During the period of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus , between 20 July and 16 August 1974 , ELDYK fought against the Turkish invaders in several battles . The commander of EDLYK , at that time , was Colonel Nikolaos Nikolaidis . Second in command were Lieutenant Colonel Konstantinos Papagiannis , during the first phase of invasion ( 20 – 23 July 1974 ) and until 9 August , and Lieutenant Colonel Panagiotis Stavroulopoulos , from 10 August and during all the second phase of the invasion ( 14 – 16 August 1974 ) . Panagiotis Stavroulopoulos was deputy commander of the ELDYK till September of the same year . During the invasion , ELDYK ' s units sent in many places in Cyprus to help the Cypriot National Guard . Battles . The most notable battles involving ELDYK forces at 1974 , were : A total of 105 men were lost ( 47 dead and 58 missing ) . Some of these men are buried in the Tomb of Makedonitissa . Classes . The classes of ELDYK that fought at 1974 were 103 , 105 and 107 . The class 103 , were old soldiers that returned to Greece with the Greek Landing Ship Tank ( ex - USS LST - 389 ) " LESBOS " ( ) because their military service ended . They left from Cyprus at 19 July 1974 , after the arrival of the class 107 . When the invasion started , at 20 July 1974 , Hellenic Navy ordered the commander of the ship , Lieutenant Commander Eleftherios Chandrinos , to change the direction of the ship and return to Cyprus , the ship at that time was near the island of Rhodes . The afternoon of the 20 July 1974 , ELDYK ' s soldiers of class 103 arrived at Cyprus and disembarked at Paphos . They helped the Cypriot National Guard to fight the Turkish Cypriot forces which were there . The Turkish Cypriot forces there surrendered and their weapons and equipments captured . After the defeat of the Turkish Cypriot forces at Paphos , ELDYK ' s men , of the class 103 , moved during the night towards the Nicosia International Airport . At the morning , they arrived at the Airport and from there they moved toward the ELDYK ' s camp . The class 107 , were new soldiers that came to replace the class 103 . They arrived at Cyprus with " Lesbos " at 19 July 1974 , one day before the invasion . Equipment . The equipment of ELDYK ' s men at that time were : The Tomb of Makedonitissa . The Tomb of Makedonitissa ( ) , is a military cemetery and war memorial , west of Nicosia , at Engomi in the area of Makedonitissa ( ) . This was the place where one Greek Nord Noratlas was shot down by friendly fire on 22 July 1974 , during the Operation " Niki " ( ) . " Niki " was a military operation of the Greek Army to send some elements of the Greek special forces by air to help the Cypriot National Guard . In this tomb are buried Greek Cypriot and some Greek officers and soldiers who died during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus at 1974 . ELDYK Today . ELDYK is still in Cyprus and its headquarters is near Nicosia , its previous camp destroyed at 1974 and the area it was ( Gerolakkos or Yerolakkos area ) is now under Turkish occupation . Its role , is to help the Cypriot National Guard . For this reason , ELDYK participate in many military exercise s in cooperation with the Cypriot National Guard . Badge . ELDYK badge shows the Greece and Cyprus crowned with a common laurel wreath . Between the two countries is the emblem of the Greek Army . Under the wreath writes : " ΕΛΔΥΚ 1960 " , which is the abbreviation of the force in Greek ( " ΕΛΔΥΚ " ) and the year it disembarked at Cyprus ( " 1960 " ) . At the top , is the motto of ELDYK : " ΤΟ ΟΜΑΙΜΟΝ ΤΕ ΚΑΙ ΟΜΟΓΛΩΣΣΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΟΜΟΘΡΗΣΚΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΟΜΟΤΡΟΠΟΝ " . The two blue tints on the emblem , represents the blue of the sky and the blue of the sea , the meaning is that the same sea and sky surrounds these two countries . Motto . The motto of ELDYK is : " " Το όμαιμόν τε και ομόγλωσσον και ομόθρησκον και ομότροπον " " , which mean : " The same ancestry and common language and common religion and common traditions " . This is an alteration of the work of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus , who had written in the eighth book of Histories , entitled Urania , at 144 : " . . . αύτις το ελληνικόν εόν όμαιμόν τε και ομόγλωσσον και θεών ιδρύματα κοινά και θυσίαι ήθεά τε ομότροπα . . . " , which means : " . . . the Greek nation is from the same ancestry and have common language and common sanctuaries and common sacrifices and common traditions . . . " . The meaning is that Greeks have the same national identity and consciousness , regardless of borders . Men . Soldiers and officers of ELDYK are all Greek citizens . Soldiers of ELDYK are selected from the Greek ' s army soldiers that do their military service . After the completion of their basic training in Greece they go to Cyprus with planes . Men who are selected for ELDYK have the nickname : Eldykarioi ( ) , singular : Eldykarios ( ) . This nickname keeps follow them while they are in Cyprus and after they return to Greece . Military ranks and ranks insignia . ELDYK follows the Greek ' s army rank scale and rank insignia ( Officers ranks and ranks insignia , Non - commissioned officers and soldiers ranks and ranks insignia ) , which has the NATO standard rank scale . Uniform . There are 2 types of military uniforms , one is the formal that soldiers wear at the parades , celebrations and other special occasions and the other is the everyday and combat uniform . The uniforms are the same as in the rest Greek army with the difference of embroidered patch es on the shoulders ( shoulder sleeve insignia ) , which have black letters that form the word : " ΕΛΔΥΚ " ( ΕΛΔΥΚ is the abbreviation of the force in Greek ) . The patches are green in the everyday and combat military uniforms and yellow in the formal uniforms . Unofficially , these patches are called : eldykosima ( ) , singular : eldykosimo ( ) . The uniform camouflage pattern is the Greek Lizard . Equipment . Men of ELDYK are using Greek ' s army equipment . The service rifle s of ELDYK soldiers are some variants of G3 . Headquarters Camp . The headquarters camp is near Nicosia . Its name is " Camp of Major Sotirios Staurianakos " . The camp has this name to honor the Captain Sotirios Staurianakos , who killed at 16 August 1974 during the last day of the battle of the ELDYK camp . He became Major after death . In the camp , there is a memorial . The memorial represent a soldier that shows with his hand the area which was the previous camp of ELDYK ( which destroyed during the Turkish invasion at 1974 ) and has on a marble the names and the ranks of the officers and soldiers of the force who died or are missing . The museum of ELDYK is in the camp . Museum . The museum of ELDYK is in its headquarters camp . Because the museum is located in a military area and is under the control of the army , if someone wants to visit it he / she must request permission from the army . In popular culture . In Tom Clancy ' s Rainbow Six , the character " Kure Galanos " is the daughter of an ex - ELDYK sharpshooter . The Greek music band " " ΕΡΩΣ - ΕΛΛΑΣ " " created the song " " Της ΕΛΔΥΚ τα παλληκάρια " " ( ) . Monuments - Memorials . Greece . ( * ) It is written the word " Cyprus " on the tomb to honor the men who died at Cyprus .