The funeral of Captain Efstathios Tsitlakidis was held Friday in the village of Granitis, near the northern Greek town of Drama.
The F-4E Phantom II of Captain Efstathios Tsitlakidis, 31, crashed during a training exercise in the Ionian Sea on Monday. Co-pilot, Lieutenant Marios Touroutsikas, 29, also died in the accident.
The coffin of Tsitlakidis was draped with the Greek flag and an Air Force contingent was outside the church. After the service, attendants of the small village shouted “Immortal!” as the coffin was transferred for burial to the cemetery.
Flags were flying at half mast throughout the area, while dozens of wreaths from relatives, friends and the military authorities arrived at the church early in the morning.
“You have never been a simple man. You were always a hero, always trying to achieve the impossible at any cost. You showed in practice the meaning of friendship, companionship and family” his brother said in tribute.
Friday’s funeral service was attended by President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and leading opposition officials.
Touroutsikas’ funeral was held at the city of Tripoli on Thursday.
Air Force officials gave no details on the training exercise or how the bodies of the two airmen were discovered, but state-run television reported that the pair had been practicing low-altitude maneuvers.
The exercise was conducted out of Andravida Air Base in the southern Peloponnese region, some 275 kilometers (170 miles) west of Athens. Greece first acquired the US-made F-4, or Phantom fighter jets, in 1974.
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