Memorial for the Fallen of Imia

In the aftermath of the Imia Crisis in 1996, it was decided to erect a memorial in honour of the three Greek officers who, as part of the crew of a helicopter monitoring the islets in the south-eastern Aegean, died when it crashed. The memorial was erected in front of the Armed Forces Officers' Club (LAED) at the junction of Rigillis Str., Mourouzi Str. and Vasilissis Sofias Avenue and is the work of sculptor Natalia Mela (1923-2019). It is a marble stele that is a copy of the façade of an ancient Ionic temple and bears a laurel wreath in relief, as well as a palm branch. Near the top of the monument, the famous phrase of Hector from Homer's Iliad “Fight for your country—that is the best, the only omen”, is engraved in large letters in Greek. Below are the ranks, names and dates of birth of the fallen officers, followed by the phrase “They fell for their Country” in Greek, accompanied by the date of their death. “IMIA 1996” is engraved at the pedestal of the monument.