By Catherine Tsounis
Growing up in Astoria, I heard stories about Greece’s heroic stand in WWII that helped shape a positive image of Greek Americans. Few know that the iconic symbol of Americans in WWII was created by the renowned photographer Eugene Smith, featuring Greek immigrant Evangelos Clonis. During a recent visit to the Hellenic American Project at Queens Hall, 65-21 Main St., Flushing, NY, Director Dr. Nicolas Alexiou revealed, “A Greek American was the symbol of the American soldier.” The portrait of this anonymous soldier, who bravely fought for freedom, has become a legend.
The WWII veterans I knew thought smoking a cigarette in battle gear was a sign of strength and determination. This photo was on the cover of Life magazine, the most popular photo magazine of that period. The portrait became a US stamp.
Who was Evangelos Clonis (Klonis)? He was an immigrant from Kefalonia who fought in Africa, Europe and probably the Pacific. He enlisted when he learned the Germans killed his parents in Greece. Klonis turned out to be a notable Marine. He received many medals for his service and even a congratulatory letter from President Harry S. Truman himself. After the war, He led a normal life owning a restaurant in Santa Fe.
His son Nick discovered his photo after his death. in 1991, Nick located the photograph for which he had been searching for years. It was exactly how his father had described it, an image of Angelo. But it was on the cover of a book published by Time-Life called LIFE—50th Anniversary of World War II.1
Eugene Smith is credited with the developing photo essay to its ultimate form. He was an exacting printer, and the combination of innovation, integrity, and technical mastery in his photography made his work the standard by which photojournalism was measured for many years.2 Dr. Alexiou poster of Evangelos Clonis was a complete surprise. Visit and contact Dr. Alexiou, a legend himself, at https://www.hapsoc.org/library/
All photos by permission of Director Dr. Nicolas Alexiou of Hellenic American Project.
References:
1. https://greekreporter.com/2022/10/03/the-greek-soldier-who-became-an-american-icon-in-world-war-ii/
2. W. Eugene Smith
