Mourns

Published by The National Herald, December 3, 2004

Community Mourns Loss Hero

By Theodore Kalmoukos
Special to The National Herald

HAVERHILL, Mass. - Full military honors for a fallen hero were accorded to Lance Corporal Demetrios Gavriel during funeral services at his hometown here in Haverhill this past Tuesday, November 30.

Demetri, 29, a United States Marine, died in Fallujah, Iraq on November 19 after getting caught tragically between explosions and gunfire.

Metropolitan Methodios of Boston officiated the Funeral Service at Saints Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Haverhill, assisted by 11 priests from throughout New England, including Boston Metropolis Chancellor Rev. Athanasios Demos.

Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney attended the funeral, as did Consul General of Greece in Boston Constantine Bikas.

Demetri’s fellow marines carried his casket in and out of the church, where hundreds of Greek Americans and friends of the Gavriel family had gathered to pay their last respects to the "smiling young man," as many knew him.

"Demetri truly cared about his fellow man. He didn’t talk about it. He didn’t dream about it. He lived it," said Dr. Frank Bass, Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Manchester, New Hampshire, during his eulogy. Demetri was one of his pupils in high school.

Metropolitan Methodios conveyed the condolences of Archbishop Demetrios of America, the Holy Eparchial Synod and the entire Greek American community:

"I pray to God to open his arms and place Demetri close to his heart and grant him eternal life," Metropolitan Methodios said.

"Demetri sacrificed his life for the honor and magnitude of his country," Demetris Argyriades, a close family friend, told the National Herald.

"I knew him as an infant, and I baptized him. I can not describe to you how I feel today. I can not comprehend that I am taking part in the funeral of a kid I baptized," said Rev. Evangelos Georgiades, who baptized the fallen soldier while serving as a priest at the parish.

Demetri’s first cousin, Christos Synodinos, also eulogized him and told the Herald that the U.S. Marine Corps "brought us back his private items, his cross, an icon of the Mother of God, and a sacred protection containing a tiny piece of the Holy Cross of Christ. Demetris had deep faith. He had Greek Orthodox values. He loved his Greek Orthodox Tradition. He was immensely proud of his heritage and respected Greek culture. He was a young man with natural and genuine kindness."

A verse from one of Demetri’s own poems confirms no less: "Hope lives among so few, Yet strong it is I know, For I am still a dreamer, Along the track I go."

Burial took place at the Arlington National Cemetery, where the late Lance Corporal Demetris Gavriel was laid to rest among this country’s many heroes.



Volume 6 Number 49 - Tuesday, December 7th, 2004	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY