AHEPA honored retired U.S. Army Major Carl Hollister and retired U.S. Army Colonel Nicholas P. Vamvakias on Thursday evening, July 30, aboard the Battleship New Jersey, presenting each with the organization’s Military Service Award.
The ceremony was held during “Bouzoukia on the Battleship,” one of the off-site gatherings organized as part of AHEPA’s 104th Supreme Convention in Philadelphia. The convention ran from July 26 through August 1, with several programs tied to the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The evening also recognized veterans throughout the AHEPA Family. Commemorative pins were distributed to former service members aboard the ship, and Hollister asked those attending to observe a moment of silence for those who were no longer with them.
“Every veteran in the Order of AHEPA deserves this award,” Hollister said after receiving the recognition. “Tonight, it is about the veterans.”
The awards themselves were carved from historic teak once used on the Battleship New Jersey’s deck, according to remarks made during the ceremony. Each piece bore an image of the ship.
Organizers also thanked U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross for helping arrange the gathering aboard the vessel.
Hollister placed his military career within a family history of service. He said his great-grandfather joined the U.S. military during World War I while pursuing American citizenship, and that later generations of his family served during World War II and Vietnam.
Addressing former service members in the audience, Hollister said their military experience created a bond that extended beyond AHEPA.
“Not only because you’re Ahepans, but because you served, we are brothers in arms,” he said. The award, he added, also represented those who did not return and those who encouraged younger generations to follow them.
Hollister spent 21 years in the active Army and Army Reserve, including much of his career in Special Operations. He received the Bronze Star in 2005 while commanding the Khost Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan.
After leaving the military, he served as president of L.M. Kohn & Company and held several leadership positions within AHEPA. Delegates elected him supreme president in 2017. He is now executive director of the St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine in St. Augustine, Florida.
During his remarks, Hollister recalled reading a Defense Intelligence Agency report while stationed in Afghanistan in early 2004 and recognizing Vamvakias’ name on the document.
“Ahepans cover other Ahepans,” he said. “That’s what we do.”
Vamvakias also spoke about military duty across generations of his immigrant family. He recalled relatives who served in World War I, World War II and the Korean War before his own two combat tours in Vietnam. He later served in Germany along the Cold War border.
“Duty, honor, country,” Vamvakias told the audience. “That applies to AHEPA.”
Vamvakias began his Army career with the 101st Airborne Division. His decorations include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star with Valor and Purple Heart.
He later commanded the 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, and the 1st Armor Brigade at Fort Knox, overseeing approximately 7,000 soldiers. After graduating from the U.S. Army War College, he completed two assignments at the Pentagon, including one with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, before joining the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Within AHEPA, Vamvakias served as supreme treasurer from 2009 to 2011 and chaired the organization’s Veterans Affairs Committee.
The Battleship New Jersey was built at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and launched in 1942. The vessel earned 19 battle and campaign stars during service that included World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and operations in the Middle East. It now operates as a museum and memorial on the Camden waterfront, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.
Hollister ended his remarks by asking those aboard the ship to remember the service members who did not return. Attendees then bowed their heads for a moment of silence.
Photos by Eleftherios Kostans. Video by Vasilis Keisoglou.