Leonidas Vasilikopoulos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leonidas Vasilikopoulos
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|---|---|
| Born | 21 May 1932 Athens, Kingdom of Greece |
| Died | 30 May 2014 (aged 82) Athens, Greece |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Greece (1954–66) Third Hellenic Republic (1975–89) |
| Service/ |
Hellenic Navy |
| Years of service | 1954–66, 1975–89 |
| Rank |  Admiral |
| Commands held | Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff & COMEDEAST (1986–89) |
| Other work | Director of the National Intelligence Service (1993–96) |
Leonidas Vasilikopoulos (Λεωνίδας Βασιλικόπουλος) was a brave Greek Navy officer. He was born on May 21, 1932, and passed away on May 30, 2014. He held very important jobs, like being the top leader of the Hellenic Navy General Staff (the main office for the Greek Navy) from 1986 to 1989. Later, he led the Greek National Intelligence Service (a group that gathers important information for the country) from 1993 to 1996.
Leonidas Vasilikopoulos was known as a great officer. He also stood up against the Greek military junta of 1967–74, which was a time when military leaders ruled Greece. Because he resisted, he was put in prison and sent away from his home many times.
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Leonidas Vasilikopoulos was born in Athens, Greece, on May 21, 1932. He joined the Hellenic Navy Academy on October 7, 1949. This is where future Navy officers are trained. He finished his training and became a Line Ensign on June 18, 1954.
He was promoted to sub-lieutenant on June 4, 1957. In 1961, he got his first command, which meant he was in charge of a ship called the Merlin. It was a vehicle carrier, meaning it carried vehicles. On October 16, 1961, he became a lieutenant. He also commanded other vehicle carriers, the Daniolos and Grigoropoulos, from 1962 to 1963.
On August 19, 1966, Leonidas Vasilikopoulos chose to leave the Navy. He was still a lieutenant at the time. He left because he wanted to marry Nota Iliopoulou. Her father was a politician from a party that was not favored by the government at the time.
Vasilikopoulos had tried to get permission to marry her since October 1963, but he was not allowed. He even took his case to a high court, the Council of State, which said he was right in November 1965. However, the Navy leaders did not like his persistence. In January 1966, he was told he would not be promoted. They said his "feuding with the service" made them doubt his loyalty. By March, he was given less important duties.
Standing Up to the Military Rule
During the Greek military junta of 1967–74, a military group took control of Greece. Leonidas Vasilikopoulos strongly opposed this military rule. Because of his actions, he was arrested and treated harshly by the Greek Military Police.
He was arrested on August 2, 1969, for being part of a group called Filiki Etaireia, which was against the military rulers. He was held in prison for a month. After that, he was kept alone in a hotel until April 21, 1970. Then, he was sent away to Samothrace, an island, until April 8, 1971.
Repeated Arrests and Exile
Soon after he was released, on September 23, he was arrested again. This time, it was for being part of another anti-junta group called Free Greeks. He was held in the Korydallos Prison until July 14, 1972.
He was arrested a third time on May 21, 1973, for being part of the Antidictatorial Youth-EAN group. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. However, he was released early on August 21, when a general amnesty (a pardon for many people) was given.
Return to Service and High Ranks
On April 5, 1974, the military rulers officially removed Vasilikopoulos from the Navy's list of reserve officers. They said he was acting against the government and the country.
After democracy was brought back to Greece in August 1974, this decision was changed on December 3. On February 24, 1975, he was called back to active service with his old rank of lieutenant. On August 14, 1976, it was decided that he had never actually been removed from service. He was then given higher ranks from earlier dates: lieutenant commander (from October 13, 1966) and commander (from June 29, 1970).
Important Commands and Promotions
From 1975 to 1976, he commanded the Daniolos again. After that, he commanded the destroyer Leon. He also studied at the Naval War School in 1976. In 1977, he commanded the 3rd Destroyer Squadron. On June 21, 1977, he was promoted to captain.
From 1977 to 1978, Vasilikopoulos commanded the destroyer Velos. From 1979 to 1980, he worked as an officer in NATO's COMEDCENT. He also attended the NATO Defence School and the Greek National Defence Academy from 1980 to 1981.
From 1981 to 1982, he was in charge of Mine Warfare Command. Then, he became the head of the Personnel Branch of the Hellenic Navy General Staff from 1982 to 1984. He was promoted to Commodore on March 17, 1982. On December 20, 1984, he became a rear admiral. He then led the Naval Training Command from 1984 to 1986.
On January 20, 1986, he was promoted to vice admiral and took command of the entire Fleet. On December 22, 1986, he was appointed Chief of the Navy General Staff, the highest position in the Greek Navy. He held this important job until he retired on July 17, 1989. When he retired, he was given the final rank of full admiral. At the same time, he was also the head of NATO's COMEDEAST.
A major event during his time as Chief of the Navy was the 1987 Aegean crisis in March 1987. This was a tense situation between Greece and Turkey, and he managed it very successfully.
Later Career and Passing
In October 1993, Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou appointed Admiral Vasilikopoulos to lead the National Intelligence Service. He stayed in this role until early 1996. He was dismissed after the Imia crisis, another difficult situation with Turkey. During this crisis, the new Prime Minister, Kostas Simitis, did not fully trust the military and intelligence leaders, including Vasilikopoulos. This made handling the situation harder for the Greek government.
Admiral Vasilikopoulos passed away on May 30, 2014.
