For this article, KTE interviewed multiple Greek-Americans who have completed their military training in Greece. We cover the long journey toward securing approval to enlist, plus all the do’s and don’ts of entering into Greek military service.

Keep in mind the information in this article is dependent on many factors, such as where your basic training occurs, length of time served, etc. Those seriously interested in military service should supplement reading this article by watching online informational videos like this one prior to enlisting.

Nevertheless, the accounts compiled below serve as a valuable resource for documenting what happens when a Greek-American shows up for military training.

How to Properly Enlist

Military service is only required for Diasporans with Greek Citizenship who intend to live in Greece for longer than six months out of the year. However, many Greek-Americans feel a sense of patriotic duty to their homeland and wish to complete the minimum three months of training while they are still young.

Before you declare yourself to the Greek military, it is imperative to first secure your certificate of permanent residency abroad through the Greek Consulate located closest to your place of birth, which functions as a permanent military exemption. While this may seem counterintuitive, it is a necessary step to take so you only have to complete three months of military training, rather than the full year mandatory for those born in Greece. The Greek government will assume you were born and raised in Greece unless proven otherwise by your permanent resident abroad status.

Unfortunately, obtaining this status can sometimes take longer than a year due to notoriously long wait times. Let’s say you grew up in New York but went to college in Los Angeles. This means both regional Consulates have to communicate with one another and file paperwork, which effectively doubles the amount of work involved. So, it is important to plan ahead and be persistent when making these arrangements.

Again, having legal proof of your permanent residence in the United States is critical to proving you have never lived in Greece for longer than six months, and therefore only need to complete three months of military service. This necessitates providing the Greek Consulate with documents that prove you have lived in America all your life, such as school transcripts, lease agreements, birth certificates, tax records, and all current and previous passports that show entry/exit stamps.

Once you have obtained the all-important certificate of permanent residency abroad, it is now safe to declare yourself to the Greek military office in your ancestor’s hometown or city. This, in contrast, is a much faster process. According to accounts from those in military service, after all of the slow points are handled in America via the Consulates, notifying a Greek military office of your intent to enlist triggers a 10-day countdown to report for first training.

You must purchase all necessary equipment before presenting for training, which brings us to our next section.

How to Prepare Yourself

The big question here is whether or not one must speak perfect Greek in order to have a chance at completing military training. Answer: Not exactly, but it’s essential to at least be conversational and well-versed in some key military terms that Greek-Americans would not have heard from spending time at church or in Yiayia’s kitchen.

Here’s a list of the most common words you’ll hear in the Greek military and their English translation:

Term for getting drafted:

• Κατάταξη: Enlistment, recruitment, etc
• Σημείωμα Κατάταξης is the document you will receive calling you to present (Παρουσιάστω) to the military at a certain time and place.
• Νεοσύλλεκτος: New recruit
• Όρκος: Oath, vow Your first training round will end with the Ορκωμοσία, the swearing in ceremony for new soldiers.

Terms of military ranking:

• Ιεραρχία: Hierarchy. This includes the ranks of your superiors in the army, from the Στρατιώτης (private) to the Στρατηγός (general of the whole army).
• Ειδικές Δυνάμεις: Special forces, a more rigorous group of soldiers.

Practical words:

• Τυφέκιο: Rifle
• Επιθεώρηση: Inspection (of bed space)
• Υπηρεσίες: Services or duties of a soldier
• Εμπρός, Μαρς!: forward, march! A command given to troops to begin marching.
• Θάλαμος: Chamber, barracks.
• σκοπιά: Guard, watchlist
• Περιπολία: Patrol

Another thing Greek-Americans might not know is that preparing for military training does incur some personal costs. Once your ten-day countdown to begin training kicks off, that’s the cue to visit a Κατάστημα Στρατιωτικών Ειδών (military supply store) – found in most Greek cities – to pick up the essentials. Personal necessities are not provided by the military, so it’s on you to purchase a military bag, additional camo shirts and pants so you don’t have to do laundry too often, toiletries like shampoo, toothbrush/toothpaste, your own rolls of toilet paper or baby wipes, hand towels, a sleeping bag, and sheets to put on top of the provided bed.

Taken together, these costs will run you about €200-250. The military center in your hometown will also instruct you to set up a Greek bank account (to receive your €8.62 monthly salary), provide vaccine records, and get an X-ray of your chest, which you can get for free at a military hospital.

Once you’ve completed these requirements and expenses, it’s time to officially report for military training.

Understanding the Day-to-Day

As a Greek-American, expect your fellow recruits to ask you plenty about America and why you opted into military training, since it is not required of Diasporans.

Before joining your μονάδα, or unit, to complete the duration of your service obligations, you will pass through several weeks of training exercises. As you progress through the training, you will experience new routines and growing responsibilities.

The first round of training lasts about two weeks, and entails learning the various ranks of command and how to present/address them, how to dress yourself, how to make your bed, etc. – in other words, army basics. You won’t have a personal weapon at this stage, but recruits train with a simulated weapon and sometimes have a day to practice firing real rounds. At the end of this training segment, you and your group will go through the swearing in ceremony, or ορκωμοσία, marking your official transition from recruit to soldier.

After the ορκωμοσία, a second round of training kicks in. Recruits practice more tactical skills like navigation/how to read a map, how to clean your weapon, the essentials of battle positioning, and soldiers are given personal standard battle rifles to safeguard for the duration of training.

Early wake-ups are routine during basic training to take morning attendance. Barrack inspections immediately follow breakfast, for which all recruits must assemble their beds in the Greek military style. Training regimens fill the remainder of the morning, punctuated by breaks every 45 minutes to an hour.

Lunch occurs around midday, which consists of traditional Greek foods like fasolada, olives, bread, macaronia, etc. The meals at Greek military bases are generally described as being “home-style, like having a Yiayia on a budget.” Recruits can also use the vending machines available for backup supplies of water, snacks, or small sandwiches.

Individual service obligations are posted each day, including tasks such as guarding the barracks, propagating messages between the ranks, tracking and guarding the movement of guns from the armory, working in the kitchen, serving as coffee shop operator, cleaning duty (floors, showers, toilets, etc.), and base perimeter watch, among others.

Another round of training takes up the rest of the afternoon, broken up by occasional breaks, then dinner, then evening attendance. Lights out usually happens at around 11 p.m. This schedule is repetitive by design, but every weekend, recruits are allowed an extended outing. It’s a time where you can go into town, grab a meal at a taverna, pick up more toiletries, etc.

After your training, in accordance with the branch of the military you have opted for or been placed into, you will leave your training center and head to your unit, or “μονάδα,” where recruits spend the remainder of their service with a whole new set of people. Sometimes people try to use personal connections (the slang term is βύσμα, as in “I have a connection”) to score a more attractive μονάδα location in their home village or a place where they have friends nearby. KTE is planning a future article covering the post-training process in detail.

Throughout their conscription, it is common for soldiers to use apps like “Apolyomai,” which tracks one’s military dismissal, days off, and contains interesting info on the various branches of the military in both Greek and English.

Why You Should Enlist

Military service is a mandatory rite-of-passage for men born in Greece. In fact, enlistment is generally regarded as a period of extended learning for young Greeks after high school or college. Even though the training is not required for Greek-Americans, many of them wish to assert their sense of belonging to Greece by taking on a reduced version of the responsibilities expected of Greek citizens.

It is common for those living in the Diaspora to value Greek heritage and connection to their homeland. However, the differences between native Greeks and Diaspora Greeks are numerous, from upbringing to economic background to cultural values and more. Volunteering for military service is one way to legitimize anyone’s dream of reuniting with Greece, either physically or symbolically.

Let it also be said that participating in military training is far more disruptive once you have a family and/or greater life responsibilities. Dedicating three months of your life to service while you are young, and while you have the flexibility, gives you a pathway to have more in common with native Greeks and someday live in the nation of your ancestors. It may not be the road most taken, but it remains a vehicle for honoring your identity.