Well-known Greek shipping owner and philanthropist Iakovos Tsounis, a 97-year-old veteran of WWII, this week announced that he will donate his fortune to Greece’s armed forces, saying he wants to leave his earthly existence in the manner in which he began, namely, “barefoot”.
As such, he declared that he will donate 23 million euros for Greece’s defense, along with 60 amphibious special forces vessels.
Iakovos Tsounis was born in the western port city of Patras and is a descendant of fighters of the Greek War of Independence between 1821 and 1829. He himself fought at the age of 16 on the Albanian front against invading Italian armies in 1940.
For his overall contribution to his homeland, he was bestowed a Star of Value and Honor in April 2020, following a recommendation by Greece’s defense minister, and was also elevated to the rank of honorary major general in reserve.
