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Exclusive: Interviewing American Veterans in Ukraine
PSM editor-in-chief accompanied Aspetto CEO to help facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid supplies to refugees in Poland, and recognized some familiar faces.
(Photo by Daniel Sharp)
The United States has not officially entered the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, American citizens are flocking to austere fronts to help in a myriad of different ways.
Along the eastern border of Poland, there is one such group made of mostly military Veterans, and a paramedic. Going by “Project White Crow under Northern Provisions,” they have been crossing into Ukraine to deliver humanitarian supplies, such as food, clothes, and medical supplies.
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While there, the group teaches combat trauma care classes to civilians, and defense forces. They invited us to their staging point in Poland, to view their facility and hear their accounts first hand.
The day before our arrival, Russian airstrikes decimated an oil plant in the city of Lviv. This was a mere 45 miles away from where the group stages convoys. When we arrived their compound, the group welcomed us with smiles and light banter.
Interviews
I’ve met one of their numbers before. The man known as “Lewis Concord” has organized many other charitable efforts in the United
States. Now, the former Marine felt the need to help where he could in Ukraine.
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During our interviews, members of the group outlined their experiences, and advice to others. This included a warning to other Americans to “not be a burden,” if they decide to travel to Ukraine.
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Recently, American defense company Aspetto began to facilitate the transport of over $4 million US dollars worth of medical supplies to government channels in Ukraine. However, Aspetto CEO Abbas Haider attended our meeting with Project White Crow to discuss other ways to contribute, and set up future donations.
<iframe width="904" height="509" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/husL2A-M8s8" title="American Veterans in Ukraine pt 2" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Among the most needed supplies are tourniquets, pressure dressings, and medical gauze. Additionally, the knowledge of how to use them. The medics we interviewed indicated the knowledge of combat medicine is low, even among Ukrainian first responders.
If you would like to donate to Northern Provisions, visit their website by clicking here.
