Billinis' grandfather Alexandros Billinis was one of the sailors who was killed in the Atlantic. HONOR DUE FOR THE "OXI" OF  GREEK MERCHANT SEAMEN DURING WWII Published in The National Herald, March 16, 2019 ------------------------------ I am excited that  The National Herald  has given Hellenic Genealogy Geek the right to reprint articles that may be of interest to our group.  ------------------------------ NEW YORK – Alexander Billinis, inspired by his family history and by the endeavor of the Eastern Mediterranean Business Cultural Alliance (EMBCA) to place a memorial in Manhattan in honor of the more than 2000 Hellenic seamen who sacrificed their lives during WWII, is leading the research effort that will tell their noble though all-but forgotten story.  Many elements in the history of the diaspora have been relatively neglected and are in danger of permanent burial as first the protagonists and then their children and grandchild...

THE NATIONAL HERALD BOOKSTORE is offering the following book: The Straits of Chimera by Eyridiki Livada Duca The true story of the first European in West Canada, the life and adventures of the Greek navigator Ioannis-Apostolos Focas Valerianos whose Spanish name-Juan de Fuca-was given to the straits between the southern part of Vancouver Island and the north of the Olympic Peninsula, somewhere in the faraway boundaries between Canada and the U.S.A. He was born in Kefallonia, Greece, around 1532. Enchanted by the sea at an early age, he soon became an excellent navigator and sailed through Venice to Spain, where he decided to stay. He changed his name to Juan de Fuca and in 1556 enlisted in the Spanish Navy, which he served for over forty years. On December 5, 1578, he was captured by the English corsair Francis Drake who used him as navigator on his ship to guide him to unknown territories. If you are interested in purchasing the book I have included The National Herald ord...