The Alternate Minister of National Defence Panagiotis Rigas, on the occasion of the Anniversary of 28th October 1940, received in his office on Thursday 25 October, Retired Lieutenant General Georgios Plionis, in the presence of the Chief of HAGS Lieutenant General Alkiviadis Stefanis, the Chief of HAFGS Lieutenant General Christos Christodoulou, the Deputy Chief of HNDGS Lieutenant General Konstantinos Floros and the Deputy Chief of HNGS Rear Admiral Ioannis Paxivanakis, where he honoured through him the Generation of Greek Servicemen who participated in WWII.

Retired Lieutenant General Georgios Plionis was born in Kymi – Euboea in 1920 and in 1939 he was admitted in the Hellenic Air Force Academy.  He participated in allied operations during WWII. He engaged in numerous war activities and he was saved on three occasions despite his aircraft’s crash. 

He conducted 167 successful missions of various types, interception of enemy aircrafts, attack reconnaissance, machine gun fires and bombardment of enemy positions, search operations for downed aircrafts, convoy protection.

After the end of WWII he served in the Hellenic Air Force in various staff posts in Greece and abroad in Brussels, Washington, Smyrna and elsewhere.

After the coup of the 21st April 1967, he refused to cooperate with the dictatorship and on 12 May 1967 he was discharged with the rank of Brigadier General.

In 1970 he was denied the issuance of passport by the Security Forces and the right for provision of goods from Military Exchange Stores, while he also forfeited the right to be admitted in military hospitals.

In 1975 he was awarded the rank of Major General and in 1981 the rank of Lieutenant General.

He has been awarded more than 24 Greek and foreign medals, including the Golden Order of Merit, 2 War Crosses, 3 Air Crosses and others.