If you haven't read this story yet, you need to.
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"The Era of Osama lasted about an hour, from the time the first plane hit the tower to the moment the General Militia of Flight 93 reported for duty." 
Toward FREEDOM
Posted on 09/07/2004 7:15:10 PM PDT by NavySEAL F-16
Hebrew Press
Yanis Kanidis -- A Hero
I mentioned this story from the Hebrew press yesterday, hoping that someone would point me to a link where the story was told in English. So far, nobody has found it, so I decided to translate the Yediot Aharonot story myself. This man deserved to be remembered and admired by as many people as possible.
The story was written by Dimitri Prokopiev and Natasha Mozgobia
The Teacher Chose Death
In an act of unlimited devotion and dedication, to the bitter end, an elderly teacher insisted on remaining with his students. He protected them, bandaged their wounds, and with his death, saved their lives.
Children who escaped from the school told of how they owed their lived to elderly Yanis (Ivan) Kanidis, age 74 – a man of Greek origin who worked as a gym teacher at the school. He was among the hundreds of teachers, students and parents taken hostage last week when Chechen rebels invaded the large school.
On Thursday, in what was an unusual humanitarian move in the midst of the horror, the terrorists agreed to allow a group of women and babies to leave the building. The commander of the terrorist squad, saw Kanidis -- a sickly elderly man -- and offered to allow him to walk free as well.
But Kanidis refused. “I will stay with my students till the end,” the teacher insisted.
“Whatever you say,” said the terrorist, dismissing him with a wave of the hand.
“He was just like Janus Korzchak, who accompanied his pupils to Auschwitz,” said one of the students who was saved.
Like Korzchak, Kanidis didn’t just accompany his students, he guarded their lives. On Friday, when the children began to lose consciousness from the stuffy air and their thirst, Yanis went to the terrorists. “You have to give them something to drink, at least to the smallest children,” he insisted angrily. One of the terrorists hit him with the butt of his rifle, but the teacher continued to yell: “How dare you!? You claim you are people of the Kafkaz region, but here in the Kafkaz even a dog wouldn’t turn down the request of an old man!”
His efforts bore fruit. The terrorist allowed the teacher to wet one of the bibs of the children and pass it around to dampen the mouths of the little ones who were choking from thirst.
The hostages who escaped told how the teacher repeatedly risked his own life in order to save the children. He moved explosive devices that the terrorists had placed near the young students, and tried to prevent them from detonating others. When the first bomb exploded next to the windows of the school, parents and children began to run out. The terrorists, trying to prevent their escape, threw a grenade at them. The elderly teacher ran to the grenade to prevent it from exploding on the children. One of the terrorists shot at the teacher to try to stop him and Yanis was wounded in the shoulder – but didn’t give up. With the last of his strength, he continued to run, jumped on the grenade, covering it with his body. The grenade exploded, and the body of the teacher absorbed the explosion, protecting the children around him from injury.
Posted by allisonks at September 7, 2004 02:32 PM | TrackBack
I know nothing of this man other than what is in this article.
I know I can say this was his finest hour. He gave his last full measure of devotion to help the most helpless among us.
I have no doubt that heaven opened the gates wide to embrace this man.
I'm sure in my soul that he was embraced with the words:
"Well done faithful servant."
If you haven't read this story yet, you need to.
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"The Era of Osama lasted about an hour, from the time the first plane hit the tower to the moment the General Militia of Flight 93 reported for duty." Toward FREEDOM
"If Yanis is Jewish..."
he may be...but most likely he is not religius. many Greek communists left Greece during the later half of the 20th century and went to live in the old Soviet Union. Many returned after the dicttatorship fell in 1975, but many opted to stay having started families where they had settled. This brave man is probably one of them.
I am originally from Greece and very conservative. But I don't care if the man was a communist or not. He did the right thing and died saving children. A true hero.
In the midst of great evil there is still great good.
I have to admit I had nearly lost faith in my country and my countrymen during the Clinton administration. I was greived to know that such a large percentage of the population was so corrupt and so without morality to excuse his many wrongs because their wallets were fat.
As I grieved the attacks on 9/11, I was never prouder of the people of this country.
As the stories started coming out about the police and firemen rushing in, the stories of heroics from people inside the building helping one another and the stories of the construction workers sleeping in the streets so they didn't have to leave the rescue efforts, I realized that this is still a very good country.
Russia will grieve her loses and I with her. She will take solace in the selflessness of her good people.
Thanks Neil. A hero in every sense of the word.
Hero. What a contrast. This man was a true martyr. Those muslim monsters have no idea what the meaning of one is. They are just primative, bloodthirsty killers. Enough of them! We must rid the world of them. We must.
ping
"the terrorists asked the hostages if any of them were muslim and they let them go"
On a similar thread someone posted a link that showed this school was a Christian school. The regular news media is not bringing up this fact.
It's a savage act against any school; but since you mentioned specifically about the muslim comment, I thought you might be interested to know the terrorists attacked a Christian school (and apparently were willing only to free muslims).
Incredible story. May he rest im peace and may his soul enjoy the merit of his sacrifice.
A heartbreaking story. I am in awe of this man's courage and dedication. May the Lord grant him the light of heaven.
Jeepers. Thanks for the ping!
OMG! As soon as I can see and breathe. . .I am; I just don't know. . .
OMG! As soon as I can see and breathe. . .I am; I just don't know. . .
My dad still works full time --- heavy kind of work --- and not many could keep up with his schedule --- when he gets home from work, he's out working on cars, mowing the lawn, remodeling the house. And try to keep up with him on a hike. My grandfather didn't retire until age 84 and was more active at that age than many are at 30.
Yanis Kanidis -- a hero, and an example to the terrorists what true martyrdom is. I wonder if any of the terrorists who may have witnessed this act of love and courage had any last-moment convictions or self-judgements as to the blasphemy of their actions?
" You learn a lot in 74 years." And the best know there are things worth dying for.
This man truly gave life to others.
Those who knew him and those who learn of him today will love him. Those who learn of him decades later will love him, too. He is forever - young.
This man knew God.
Thanks.
I'm glad I read it.
That'll only make 'em mad. /sarcasm
This teacher was a young woman, who survived the incident by hiding behind some sort of cabinet (no mention of any children she'd tried to hide). She said when the hole was blown in the wall, she escaped by "climbing over the bodies of dead children".
I think they were trying to convey the horror of the scene, but all I could think of was this woman seeing no problem with saving herself while totally ignoring the children in her care.
As a teacher myself, I hope to never witness such a situation, but if I do, I hope I'm able to emulate the bravery & selflessness of Yanis Kanidis.
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