Pavlos Kouroupis

Life and education Kouroupis was born in 1929 in Dentra, Messenia to a rural family, and was the third of six siblings. Kouroupis grew up in Dentra and went to school in Kalamata.

Kouroupis' forces were against a superior Turkish battalion force which was supported by aircraft, artillery and naval forces. Despite that, the two companies under Kouroupis' command were able to halt the advance of the Turkish forces and confine them in an area .

Once close to the city, Kouroupis' men were encircled by a Turkish force. He told his men to disperse from a flank that had not yet been blocked by the Turkish army. The men refused to leave, but he ordered them to do so. Kouroupis and his second in command remained intending to provide cover for the retreating men. From this point, Kouroupis' whereabouts have remained uncertain.

Posthumous honours and legacy On 12 December 2008, Colonel Kouroupis was posthumously awarded the rank of Lieutenant General of the Hellenic Army, the highest military rank of the Hellenic Army. In an interview to the Ta Nea newspaper in 2009, Kouroupis' wife, Mary Kouroupis, said that apart from the posthumous rank promotion, the Greek state has not provided further recognition to the fallen or disappeared in the conflict of 1974. Pavlou Kouroupi Street, in the Aglantzia suburb of Nicosia is named after him. In Kalamata, the bust of Kouroupis has been erected in Panayiotis Foteas square in front of the Messinia Directorate.