'He was a true hero'

By Michael Puente Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted 11/23/2004

It's not the kind of homecoming family and friends of Marine Cpl. Peter J. Giannopoulos wanted him to have.

Less than two weeks ago, Giannopoulos was serving his country in the Marines, perhaps thinking of making his way back home for the holidays. But on Nov. 11 - Veterans Day - 22-year-old Giannopoulos was gunned down just outside Fallujah, Iraq.

On Monday morning, more than 300 people came to St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Palatine to pay their last respects to Giannopoulos, who was remembered as a "true hero" by his pastor and fellow Marines.

He was later laid to rest in St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery in Palatine, just a short distance from the Inverness home where he grew up.

Funeral services for Giannopoulos were part Christian faith and Marine tradition, as his casket, draped with the American flag, was escorted into the church by Marine pallbearers.

The Rev. Peter Balkas told mourners Giannopoulos set a great example for the young and old.

"I thank Peter for his sacrifice to our country, and for being such a great example to young children," Balkas said following the service.

Balkas said his own two children attended visitation services for Giannopoulos held Sunday.

"I told them that they were going to see a real hero, not an athlete or rock star," Balkas said. "They were going to see a man who gave his life for his country."

Marine Capt. Josh Byer, whose job is to break the bad news to loved ones when a Marine dies in combat, said losing a Marine - even just one - is always hard to take emotionally.

"It's never easy," Byer said outside the church. "Losing one Marine is as hard as losing a hundred. And as long as it goes on, it won't get any easier."

Giannopoulos was shot in the chest while loading a missile, Byer said.

Since Giannopoulos died, Byer said he has gotten to know Giannopoulos' family and the kind of person the young soldier was.

"He was a true hero," Byer said. "He fought and died for this country."

Inverness Mayor John A. Tatooles described Giannopoulos as a patriot, and said he felt deep sorrow for his parents, John and Angie Giannopoulos, and Peter's two younger brothers, Nick and Michael.

"We hate to see these families suffer as they are suffering," Tatooles said. "It's very difficult on the community. He's a real patriot."

Giannopoulos had been serving in Iraq since September with the Marine Corps Reserve's 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, based out of Waukegan.

In 2000, Giannopoulos graduated from Fremd High School in Palatine, where he was a National Merit Scholarship finalist.

But even before he graduated from Fremd, Giannopoulos enlisted in the Marines when he was just 17.

Former teachers at Fremd said Giannopoulos had a motto he lived by, which was remembered Monday: "Live to win, dare to fail."

Before deploying for Iraq, Giannopoulos was attending Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., where he was majoring in computer science.

Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn attended the service to represent the state of Illinois.

Although he's attended nearly 50 funerals for fallen Illinois servicemen, Quinn said it never gets easier to bear.

"It's a very sad day. It breaks your heart. I think it makes a person think about the real meaning of life and about sacrifice," Quinn said.

At the funerals for fallen service members - and as with Giannopoulos' - Quinn said he comes to better understand the unique traits of the fallen soldier and where their ideals originate.

"You come face to face with the families of the soldiers. You get to see their values," Quinn said. "(Giannopoulos') family, you can see how devoted they are to each other, their religion and their community. We're so lucky to have these people within our midst."

As a teen, Giannopoulos played hockey with a Glenview Park District program. He later went on to play at Fremd, where he was a goaltender for the school's varsity ice hockey club.

Quinn saw Giannopoulos' playing of hockey as a mere metaphor for the rest of his life.

"I think his idea of defense was more than just hockey. He included that principal to his country in guarding the rest of us," Quinn said.

Hero: Fellow Marine says telling families emotional