The Evzones, Greece’s Presidential Guard, formed an honor guard at the Parliament House of Victoria on Thursday, during their visit to Melbourne in Australia.
The unit will participate in the annual celebration of the Revolution of Independence, which is to take place at the Shrine of Remembrance on Sunday 25 March.
The 13-person unit will open and close the parade, which is set to start at 12.30pm.
This year marks the third time that the unit visits Melbourne – the first time being in 1980 and the second in 1992.
The Presidential Guard was established on December 12 1868, mere decades after the modern independent Greek state was founded.
The fighting force comprised of a series of light battalions, engaging in every war Greece has fought up until WWII.
Post-war, only one battalion remained active, stationed in front of the Presidential Residence in Athens.
Still, it considered a great honor among army officers to be elected to serve in the Presidential Guard.
The Evzones must be taller than 1.87m and in excellent physical state, able to go through a long, strenuous training that allows them to stay perfectly still for an entire hour.
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Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Marshallhenrie License: CC-BY-SA
Source:au.greekreporter.com
