American-born but Greek to his core, Nick fought for his ancient homeland against the Germans, then in the Greek Civil War. After World War II, he served in the U.S. Army. Born in Lewiston, Maine, Nick accompanied his family when they returned to Greece in 1934. As a teenage schoolboy, he joined a band of partisans that operated from mountain hideouts in southern Greece. They ambushed German convoys and participated in other clandestine operations. After German forces left the country, he fought the communists in the Greek Civil War. When hostilities ended, he returned to studying law in Athens, but was drafted in 1946 into the U.S. Army. He served stateside in Louisiana, where he married a local woman. After fulfilling his military obligation, Nick stayed in Shreveport and worked for United Gas, operated Nick's Drive-In, ran bowling alleys, and sold insurance.