Tuesday, Jan 16
Handover of the trucks and equipment
Our mission for the trip has two parts: to help Ukraine’s defense and to help with their efforts to deal with the war’s consequences and to rebuild.
On the first part of the mission, we have purchased and had rebuilt 10 vehicles as well as supplies for the troops from this region fighting on the front lines. Thanks to Olekszij Kylja, the vehicles are all ready for us to transport them and hand them off to the military units. We drive them to a rendezvous spot and deliver them to the units. Its clear that the help is deeply appreciated – both the actual equipment, which they tell us will almost certainly save Ukrainian soldier’s lives, and the fact that we cared enough about their struggle to lend a hand. Our message is that we represent the hundreds of millions of people around the world that support their fight against Russian aggression.
After the handoff, the troops serve us lunch – hearty soup they are cooking over an open fire – and we drink a toast to their fallen comrades.
I get a chance to meet and talk with a number of the soldiers and a few things stand out. One, many are older than I’m used to seeing in the US - Conscription age in Ukraine is 27-60 and many of them are close to my age, or even older. Second is that for many of them, they had other careers and other lives prior to the war. Their lives were totally disrupted and they had to answer the call to defend their country.
The Hero’s Walk
We visited the military cemetery in the village of Uzhhrod, to lay wreaths honoring their dead. An entire side of the cemetery was dedicated to dead from the current war – 116 people from this small village alone. We walked slowly through the graves – each one had a picture of the fallen soldier, flags of Ukraine and their regiment, fresh flowers, and candles. The families of the soldiers, and others from the village apparently continually maintain the gravesites. I was struck by how many of the fallen were of a similar age as myself; one was born in the same month and year – January 1975. As we walked through, the dates of their deaths got more and more recent. At the end, two soldiers that died last week. The dirt was recently turned and the flowers on top still bright and fresh. Next to those, spots were already prepared for the next graves that will be placed. I thought about how unnecessary these deaths were. Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine has caused 100s of thousands of deaths, in villages across the country. What an incredible waste of precious lives.
Hospital and Rehabilitation Center
The director of a local hospital gave us a tour, and showed us the rehabilitation equipment we donated to them. The hospital complex was a complex of historic buildings – nearly 150 years old. Beautiful, but very dated. Before the war, they had planned a modernization of the hospital, but that work has now been deferred indefinitely. On top of that, they now receive a train full of injured soldiers every Thursday for the hospital to treat. Many of them also need to rehabilitate from injuries and amputations and they need the right equipment to do so. They showed us the equipment we donated that is being used to rehabilitate injured soldiers and civilians.
Meeting with the Governor
We met with the Governor of the Carpathia region in Ukraine, Viktor Mikita, and his staff. The group was impressive – young, optimistic, energetic, and competent. He directly addressed the issue of corruption – “we don’t have the ‘famous’ Ukrainian corruption here”. Alex shared with the Governor our mission and his personal motivations. He talked about the shared historic struggles of his country of birth, Ireland, and the oppression Ukraine has faced. The Governor’s reply was that he believed “we understood them”. His staff also shared about a new project they were leading, called the “4-5-0 rehabilitation center”. It’s a center for physical and mental rehabilitation from people impacted from the war. They are building it by renovating an existing building. The project will cost $10M, much less than a similar project in the US; $3M is already committed, and they will start in March. It was an impressive project, seemed well organized, and the need is clearly a compelling one.
Vehicle Workshop
Olekszij Kylja showed us around his workshop, where he and a team of refugees from the eastern front, rebuild vehicles to furnish to the military. To date, they have provided over 100 vehicles, all privately funded. We met with a refugee, who was forced out of his home, that now houses Russian soldiers; he is now rebuilding trucks to send to the front lines. Poetic justice.
Godspeed
Our final task, was to see the team off who was taking the vehicles and supplies to the front lines. Each truck was completely loaded down with food and supplies. Teams of 3 soldiers per vehicle will drive around the clock for 3 days to get to the front. It was an honor to be there to send them off and wish them Godspeed on such a challenging and important journey.
After another celebratory dinner with Mayor Baksa, we headed to bed. As I reflected on the day, I was struck first by how much we saw and learned in a single day. Remembering the events of the morning literally felt like it must have been two or three days prior. I was also inspired by the Ukrainian people we met – their resilience and determination in the face of aggression and hardship, how welcoming they were to us, and their connection and reliance on one another. They didn’t ask for this fight, but in the face of it, they have banded together and are standing strong.
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