Panagiotis M. Sakellaris joined the Greek military at the age of 21. Following the Axis invasion of Greece in 1940, Sakellaris was called to active duty and deployed to the Albanian front, where he played a key role in the successful counter offensive against the invading forces. During the war, Sakellaris, nicknamed “The Last Horseman,” served as a highly trained forward observer on horseback. His assignment was to conduct reconnaissance in advance of troop movements to be sure that the rest of the troops could move forward in safety. In this role, he was in constant danger of being discovered by Axis troops and his small reconnaissance group was often left largely defenseless. He is the father of George Sakellaris.