1Designating the month of March 2013 as "Greek-American Heritage
2Month" in Pennsylvania and recognizing the constructive role
3Greek Americans continue to play in the economic and cultural
4development of our nation and this Commonwealth.

5WHEREAS, The 2010 census identified more than 1,300,000
6people of Greek ancestry in the United States; and

7WHEREAS, Greek Americans remain proud of their heritage by
8passing their traditions and loyalty to the United States on to
9new generations of Greek Americans; and

10WHEREAS, Greek Independence Day is a national holiday that
11commemorates the start of the War of Greek Independence in 1821
12and is celebrated annually in Greece on March 25; and

13WHEREAS, In 1821, the Greek Commander-in-Chief Petros
14Mavromichalis, a founder of the modern Greek state, remarked to
15citizens of the United States that "it is in your land that
16liberty has fixed her abode and . . . in imitating you, we shall
17imitate our ancestors and be thought worthy of them if we

1succeed in resembling you"; and

2WHEREAS, The founding fathers of our nation, many of whom
3read Greek political philosophy in the original Greek, drew upon
4the experience and philosophy of ancient Greece in forming our
5nation's representative democracy; and

6WHEREAS, The modern Greek national anthem, "Hymn to Liberty,"
7illustrates Greece's strong bond with and respect for our nation
8and ideals by including the words "most heartily was gladdened
9George Washington's brave land"; and

10WHEREAS, Ancient Greeks in the city-state of Athens made
11vital contributions to democratic governance by inventing the
12concept of citizenship where laws were proposed by citizen
13assemblies and subject to popular vote, by recognizing the
14principle of separation of powers in independent Athenian
15legislative, executive and judicial branches and by conceiving
16and implementing the concept of trial by jury; and

17WHEREAS, Sir Winston Churchill said of the the Greeks,
18"Hence, we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that
19heroes fight like Greeks," recognizing that Greece played a
20major role in World War II by delaying the German invasion of
21Russia; and

22WHEREAS, Greek Americans served with distinction in all
23branches of the United States military during World War II and,
24through the American Hellenic Educational Progressive
25Association, raised more than $263 million in war bonds for the
26United States; and

27WHEREAS, Throughout the 20th century, Greece was one of only
28three nations to ally with the United States in every major
29international conflict, and to this day, the Greek nation
30remains a reliable strategic partner and steadfast ally of the

1United States; and

2WHEREAS, Greek Americans continue to demonstrate loyalty to
3the United States and the ideals of our founding fathers;
4therefore be it

5RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
6month of March 2013 as "Greek-American Heritage Month" in
7Pennsylvania; and be it further

8RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage all
9citizens to recognize the constructive role Greek Americans
10continue to play in the economic and cultural development of our
11nation and this Commonwealth.