Before the Winter of 2022, the most I could tell you about Ukraine was that it was part of the Soviet Union prior to 1991, and that it was viewed as the Bread Basket of Europe. Upon crossing the border from Poland into Ukraine, within the first 5 minutes, I already knew that I knew nothing at all about Ukraine. I had just crossed into the unknown and had no inkling of what was in store for me as I started to create a new life for myself in this unknown nation.
In the Summer of 2022, after having left my job as a school teacher in Florida, I decided that I would move to Ukraine and help fight the Russian Invasion that had fully begun early that year. I sold off any belongings I could not put in long term storage, I gave up my apartment, and prepared myself, very minimally I might add, to uproot and move my entire existence to Ukraine. My ultimate goal was to join the Foreign Legion and contribute to the war effort directly. I was in a more unique position than most of the foreign volunteers, having served in the United States Marine Corps from 2006 to 2010 and deploying to Iraq as a Marine Infantryman. With this experience, now nearly 15 years past, I traveled to Warsaw and made my way to the assigned border crossing for Foreign Legion Fighters.
By December 7th of that year, I was across the border an inside Ukraine and had linked up with the Ukrainian Army. After going through processing and an interview, I was to be assigned to an as yet unspecified GUR unit that would contain foreign volunteers with actual combat experience and combat arms specialties (i.e. machine-gunner, mortar-man, anti-armor, etc.). Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I had contracted a stomach infection during my time in Poland. The infection resulted in hospitalization for a week in a military hospital in Lviv. During my time in hospital I was fortunate enough to meet some Ukrainian soldiers who were being treated on the same ward as myself. During those conversations I came to the conclusion that, even though I could no longer contribute to the war effort through actual combat, I could help Ukraine in a near-infinite number of ways. And after being discharged from the hospital, which was less than the cost of a standard doctor’s visit in the United States (Yes, 1 week in hospital with specialist care cost less than your annual visit to you General Practitioner), I made my way into the city to search for and find an organization to volunteer with.
Within a week or two, I had not only found a volunteer organization but, I had also meet Ukrainians who were more than willing to embrace me and help me navigate their culture. I had an apartment, new friends, and a volunteer position at the Lviv Central Train Station assisting refugees who were coming in from Eastern Ukraine. For nearly 6 months I volunteered at the Train Station, growing more comfortable in my new home. However, by the end of June of 2023, my life would change in a way I never saw coming. On a trip to the Donetsk region of Ukraine, to meet an old friend from the Train Station, I met a fellow Marine who was working as an instructor for the Ukrainian Army. And after a 20 minute conversation and a farewell, I found myself outside of the city teaching Ukrainian soldiers how to use American weapon systems. Believe me, it was the last thing I expected to be doing, but life has a strange way of putting you in places you never thought you would belong. And for the next 10 months, I worked on a team and I trained as many soldiers as I could feasibly and responsibly train so that those soldiers would have the ability and knowledge to survive and achieve victory on their battlefield.
During those 10 months, I received a crash course in speaking, listening, and reading Ukrainian as well as, and without actually realizing it, some Russian also. I had to communicate detailed classes on weapon systems, tactics, procedures, and life hacks without a translator and no internet signal. Luckily, I had been a school teacher in my past life and teaching 6, 7, and 8 year old children how to read, write, and do arithmetic. So, I figured that if I could teach 7 year old child to read, I could teach a grown Ukrainian man to fight and survive in a combat environment. Of course there were plenty of drawings and hand gestures, but after only a few months I had developed a technique to teach. Now, I would like to expand more on this time in my life, but unfortunately most of what I taught and who I taught it to can’t be included here. Suffice it to say that, what I and everyone on the team taught, resulted in battlefield successes not 1 week after the soldiers left training and moved into their positions.
After nearly 10 months of being an instructor in the Donetsk Region, I received a minor TBI from a practice firing of an RPG rocket. And after visits to specialists in Lviv, it was determined that I would have to step away as an instructor to prevent even further damage. However, even with this news I was not deterred. Because by this time I had my residency permit and had decided that Ukraine was home and that I would be staying permanently. And after moving back to Lviv, I began looking for work. During my medical treatments, a good friend of mine who was helping me with translation noted that his law firm needed someone to help with certain aspects of their work that they were struggling to find time to complete. And so, after a short conversation and a quick introduction to Ukrainian Patent Law, I find myself here.
Why Ukraine? Well, before I decided to live here, that was an easy answer. I was here to fight the Russians and help Ukraine win. And now? Now, that question has become even easier to answer. This is home, this is where I feel comfortable, this is where my life will be. Dozens, if not more if you count Ukrainian Soldiers, have asked me why Ukraine and why I like it here. You know the answer to the first question. As for the second, that requires a little bit of familiarity with Southern Society in the United States. Now, in the South we have a term called Southern Hospitality. These words speak of an entire cultural practice to warmly welcome and embrace anyone new to the community and to help them integrate and participate in society while revolving around the central anchor of the family. This cultural tradition results in neighbors bringing food or help in a time of need, communities protecting each other, and from a warm embrace into the society.
Now, having said all that, you will now understand what is meant when I say that Ukraine is just like the South but another language is being spoken. The culture of Ukraine revolves, heavily, around the family and their willingness to welcome and embrace new faces into their culture. I have never seen a culture more willing to shrug off conflict, within reason obviously, in pursuit of a happy and content life. In my entire time in Ukraine, I think I have never seen or heard an argument between two Ukrainians last more than 1 minute. The culture of Ukraine is five times older, if not more, than the United States is as a country. With this deep well of history and culture, Ukraine has shown me that they have had a history of overcoming and succeeding, despite everything that has happened to them. In fact, and I may not be alone in this thought, it almost feels as if Ukraine and the Ukrainian people are thriving and flourishing in spite of all the hardships they have to confront. It is their way of spitting in the eye of the devil, it would seem.
When you see a people who have taken a beating for nearly their entire history, it is no surprise that when it comes to hard times, it is business as usual for them here. Yes, the sirens continue to sound when Russia sends up aircraft or missiles. Yes, family members are going to the Army. But life must go on and the Ukrainian people are the epitome of this mindset. They understand that without pushing on and working to keep the country stable, they are doomed to return to Russian serfdom. And considering the fact that I know people who are old enough to remember those times, you see that every person in the country knows what is at stake.
With all that being said, what happens in the future? Well, knowing what I know now about Ukraine, it’s culture, it’s people, and their mindset, the answer appears to be fairly straight forward. And that is to push on and strive for freedom, happiness, and to prevent the children of Ukraine from suffering the same fate their ancestors have suffered before. There is not a doubt in my mind that Ukraine will fight until the bitter end or victory. And having spent nearly 2 years in the country and living on both East and West sides of the nation, I see that there really is no option other than full victory for Ukraine. And I have a sneaking suspicion that we may see this victory sooner than when most people think it will occur.
