The second and final part of the tribute “Heroic personalities of 1922” in the context of the show “Narratives“, curated and presented by Maria Karagiannaki, presents the chronicle of the presence in Smyrna of the American Methodist pastor, Asa Kent Jennings, who made history as the man who saved more than 15% of the Greeks of Asia Minor in September 1922.
When the civilized world was turning a blind eye to avoid violating neutrality, Aja Kent Jennings took it upon himself to save hundreds of thousands of refugees. Although all foreign nationals were leaving the city of Smyrna, Asa Jennings remained.
Later, he wrote in his memoirs: “I felt the hand of God on my shoulder. It seemed to me that the terrible, anguished, desperate screams pleading for help would never cease to haunt me, all my life.”
Through his personal actions and negotiations, even going so far as to “threaten” the Greek Government, forcing it to act when everything seemed to be heading for a dead end, Asa Jennings managed to save hundreds of thousands of people, chartering at his personal expense the first ships (the “Ships of Compassion” as they were called), activating all possible rescue forces.
Asa Kent Jennings was the first in history to receive the highest both civilian and military honors from the Greek government for his service and humanitarian assistance to Greece.
