Chris H. Sakellaris

Retired S/MSgt Chris H. Sakellaris, United States Air Force, passed away on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. Chris was born July 10, 1930, in Danville, VA, the youngest of six children born to Harry and Stella Sakellaris. He was predeceased by his grandparents Socrates and Panagiota Gianopoulos and parents, Harry and Stella Sakellaris, and his sister Anne Kazazes, and four brothers Charles, Sam, Pete and Leo.

He graduated from Robert E. Lee Grammar School in June 1942 and George Washington High School in June 1948. He entered the United States Army Air Force on October 11, 1948, retiring after twenty years of service on November 1, 1968.

Chris began his unique military career as an Intelligence Specialist. During his twenty years of active duty he served in the Far East and Europe plus various military bases in the US. He served as an Intelligence Specialist with the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing during the Korean conflict. From September to December 1950, during the initial outbreak of the Korean conflict he maintained daily updates of the North Koreans battlefield position, capabilities which included the briefing and debriefing of combat crews flying missions into North Korea. During this period he had the honor to brief and debrief 1st Lt. Russell Brown, on November 8, 1950, after Lt. Brown shot down a MIG-15 (Russian fighter} in the first jet-to-jet combat.

In the spring of 1951, while serving as an Intelligence Specialist with a detached unit of the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, in Korea, he was offered a battle field commission to Second Lieutenant but refused because he would have had to leave his unit.

During the last seven months in Korea he ran the Wing's Intelligence Section performing the majority of the operational briefings and debriefings for fighter pilots and keeping the Staff Officers up-to-date on the battlefield situation.

Returning to the United States in late January 1952 he was assigned to the 28th Air Division at Hamilton Air force Base, just north of San Francisco. From 1952 until 1953 he was involved in Project Blue Book where he participated in the investigation and reporting of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs)

In 1958, during a second tour in the Far East, he was picked by Headquarters, 5th Air Force for the "Outstanding Airman" series. This appeared in the October 17, 1959, issue of the Air Force Times. Also, during this period the United States Air Force implemented an Air Force Intelligence Specialist Examination to ascertain whether or not an individual was qualified to hold their current rank and specialty rating. All the intelligence specialist assigned to the base were required to take the examine. Approximately two hundred intelligence personnel took the examination, where Chris scored the highest score in his specialty. As a result the Base Commander appointed him to the Bases Promotion Board to review and question those personnel pursuing an upgrade in their rank and field of expertise.

He was an intelligence operative for more than half his military career where he exercised management over Headquarters USAF worldwide intelligence collection activities relating to military aerospace requirements.

He briefed and debriefed foreign sources on subjects of interest to the Theater Commander. He responded to special requirements levied at the national level on the Theater Commander, as well as requirements levied by the State Department, during the summer of 1964 involving the collection of critical intelligence data pertaining to a specific international crisis.

During his military career he attended the Air Force Intelligence School, the Intelligence Operation Technical Course, Special Counterintelligence Course, Survival Courses, Mountain Climbing Course and held a Master Parachutist rating with over 200 static line and free fall jumps.

He was awarded numerous medals and honors, including the Airman's Medal for Heroism in a non-combat situation, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three Bronze Stars, the Air Force Good Conduct Medal with one Bronze Star, the Army Good Conduct Medal with five Bronze Loops, the Army of Occupation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star, the Korean Service Medal with one Bronze and two Silver Stars, the Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with four Bronze Stars, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, the United Nations Service Medal and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.

During the last half of his military career he was heavily involved with the various U.S. Intelligence organizations. He received several classified commendations as a result of his work and analysis. At one point he was a Headquarters USAF representative to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) regarding collection activities worldwide in addition to maintaining worldwide operational records on Air Force collection activities.

Because of his military and civilian background, he had a working knowledge of technical Russian, Japanese, and had a good understand of Arabic and Greek.

As a staunch supporter of the military throughout his military and civilian careers, a disappointing time during his life was how the military were treated upon their return from Vietnam and how many in Congress took a defeatist attitude.

After his retirement from the United States Air Force he completed a successful twenty-two­ year career with Sanders Associates, Inc and Lockheed-Sanders Inc. He served as Director of Marketing for the Middle East, with his final position as the Director of International Programs wherein he was responsible for some 800-900 export licenses, dealing with the U.S. State Department, the Department of Defense and many foreign governments on a daily basis. He was responsible for over 30 International Consultants who assisted him in the fulfillment of his duties. These duties took him all over the world covering over 60 countries where he interfaced with many high-ranking government officials, some of whom later became Heads of State for that country.

Upon retiring from private industry, he retired to Greensboro, NC to be close to family. He was active in The Dormition of The Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church where he served in the Altar for nine years assisting the various priests who served. Due to health problems he had to quit those duties during Holy Week of 2000.

He is survived by his loving wife Ardele of 49 years, his sisters-in-law, Ethel and Sylvia, his brothers-in-law, David (Vicky) Brown and Daniel (Felma) Brown, and numerous nieces and nephews, and grand nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends on Monday, January 27 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at The Dormition of The Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church, 800 Westridge Road, Greensboro, NC. The Trisigion and Funeral Service will follow at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM with a private burial at Mountain View Cemetery, Surry Lane, Danville, VA.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Pierce-Jefferson Funeral Home, 300 West Wendover Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27408.

In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to The Dormition of The Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church, 800 Westridge Road, Greensboro, NC; St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 808 Hamilton Street, High Point, NC 27262 or Tunnel to Towers (718-987-1931), 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306.