Lieutenant General (retired). Ioannis Tzounakos
Second Vice President of the Board of the War Museum
The retired Lieutenant. Ioannis Tzounakos was born on 11 June 1963, in Agios Nikolaos Melitini, in the present-day Municipality of Eastern Mani, Laconia.
He lived his childhood in Agios Nikolaos Melitini, in Elika Laconia and in Gythio where he graduated from high school in 1978. He then moved to Athens where he graduated from the 3rd Athens Boys’ Lyceum, in Abelokipi.
He entered the Military School of Evelpidon on 18 September 1981, from which he graduated on 25 June 1985, with the rank of Lieutenant Artillery.
As a junior officer he served in campaign units of his weapon in positions commensurate with his rank (Ulamagos, Gunnery Commander, Unit Office Officer), as well as Training Squadron Commander (2nd Squadron/KEPV) and Chief of Staff (3rd E.G./KEPV).
As a senior officer he served in the campaign units of his weapon as Deputy Unit Commander (139 A/K MMP), Unit Commander (107 A/K MMP-PEP) – Independent Subunit (196 A/K PBC) and in staff positions as Director (3rd E.G./KEPB – 2nd-3rd E.G./DPB/50 M/KTAX).
He also served as Director of the Directorate of Intelligence – Security, Director of the Directorate of Logistics Support, Director of Branch B at the BSC and Chief of Staff of the Directorate of Army Reorganization at the General Staff of the Hellenic Armed Forces.
As a senior officer he served in the1st STRATIA/EU OHQ “Achilleas” as Artillery Commander (APB) as well as Commander of ELDYK/3/1/ D.E.M. and Deputy Commander of ELDYK/3/1
Successfully completed the Schools/training courses provided for by rank (Basic Training of Personnel, Subunit Commanders’ Course, Unit Commanders’ Course).
He is a graduate of the Higher School of War (A.S.P.) and the National Defence School (SETHA)
He is a graduate of the Military School of Foreign Languages (MFL), and the Interstate School of Strategic Intelligence (ISIS)
Speaks English at level B2 (F.C.E.)
He has participated in NATO’s international exercises, “Arcade Fusion ’98” in Germany in 1998 and the European Command/European Union in Paris in 2012.
He has been awarded all the medals and commendations of the Greek Armed Forces, the medal for remarkable deeds of the National Guard, which was awarded to him by the Republic of Cyprus, as well as commendations and congratulations from his superiors.
By decision of the Minister of National Defence on 13 March 2024, he was appointed to the War Museum as Second Vice President.
He is married to Eleni Karkanis, a philologist and teacher and has 4 children, Gregory, an Artillery Officer/S.S.E, Anastasia – Maria, a graduate of the Medical School of the Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), Nikolaos, a student of the Medical School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and Konstantinos – Michael, a student at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH).
