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Most of the democratic world has rallied around Ukraine as it bravely faces invasion by Russia. This is shown by large pro-Ukraine demonstrations throughout major cities of the world.
The United States has certainly reflected this same sentiment. It shouldn't surprise anyone that American veterans have been among the Americans affected.
Recently there have been references made to the Abraham Lincoln Brigades who went to fight Franco when he attempted the fascist overthrow of the government in Spain just prior to World War II in which the United States was to fight the fascists from Italy (Mussolini) and Germany (Hitler).
The Abraham Lincoln Brigades have not been discussed in the United States much until recently, and in light of the war in Ukraine, but they were made of American volunteers, mainly college students, who wanted to fight the fascists before FDR was ready to do so. Sometimes they are pictured as communists (untrue), but they were idealist young leftists many of whom died on foreign soil in a precursor to World War II.
Their fate is something to be considered by young men volunteering to fight for a valiant cause now.
The following is excerpted from "The New York Times".
"Hector served two violent tours in Iraq as a United States Marine, then got out, got a pension and a civilian job, and thought he was done with military service. But on Friday, he boarded a plane for one more deployment, this time as a volunteer in Ukraine.
'A lot of veterans, we have a calling to serve, and we trained our whole career for this kind of war,' he said. 'Sitting by and doing nothing? I had to do that when Afghanistan fell apart, and it weighted heavily on me. I had to act.'
All across the United States, small groups of military veterans are gathering, planning and getting passports in order. After years of serving in smoldering occupations, trying to spread democracy in places that had only a tepid interest in it, many are hungry for what they see as a righteous fight to defend freedom against an autocratic aggressor with a conventional and target-rich army.
'It’s a conflict that has a clear good and bad side, and maybe that stands apart from other recent conflicts,' said David Ribardo, a former Army officer who now owns a property management business in Allentown, Pa. 'A lot of us are watching what is happening and just want to grab a rifle and go over there.
The risk of unintended escalation has led the U.S. federal government to try to keep citizens from becoming freelance fighters, not just in this conflict, but for centuries. In 1793, President Washington issued a Proclamation of Neutrality warning Americans to stay out of the French Revolution. But the efforts have been uneven, and often swayed by the larger national sentiment.
www.nytimes.com
The United States has certainly reflected this same sentiment. It shouldn't surprise anyone that American veterans have been among the Americans affected.
Recently there have been references made to the Abraham Lincoln Brigades who went to fight Franco when he attempted the fascist overthrow of the government in Spain just prior to World War II in which the United States was to fight the fascists from Italy (Mussolini) and Germany (Hitler).
The Abraham Lincoln Brigades have not been discussed in the United States much until recently, and in light of the war in Ukraine, but they were made of American volunteers, mainly college students, who wanted to fight the fascists before FDR was ready to do so. Sometimes they are pictured as communists (untrue), but they were idealist young leftists many of whom died on foreign soil in a precursor to World War II.
Their fate is something to be considered by young men volunteering to fight for a valiant cause now.
The following is excerpted from "The New York Times".
"Hector served two violent tours in Iraq as a United States Marine, then got out, got a pension and a civilian job, and thought he was done with military service. But on Friday, he boarded a plane for one more deployment, this time as a volunteer in Ukraine.
...
Hector said he hoped to cross the border to train Ukrainians in his expertise: armored vehicles and heavy weapons.'A lot of veterans, we have a calling to serve, and we trained our whole career for this kind of war,' he said. 'Sitting by and doing nothing? I had to do that when Afghanistan fell apart, and it weighted heavily on me. I had to act.'
All across the United States, small groups of military veterans are gathering, planning and getting passports in order. After years of serving in smoldering occupations, trying to spread democracy in places that had only a tepid interest in it, many are hungry for what they see as a righteous fight to defend freedom against an autocratic aggressor with a conventional and target-rich army.
'It’s a conflict that has a clear good and bad side, and maybe that stands apart from other recent conflicts,' said David Ribardo, a former Army officer who now owns a property management business in Allentown, Pa. 'A lot of us are watching what is happening and just want to grab a rifle and go over there.
...
The risk of unintended escalation has led the U.S. federal government to try to keep citizens from becoming freelance fighters, not just in this conflict, but for centuries. In 1793, President Washington issued a Proclamation of Neutrality warning Americans to stay out of the French Revolution. But the efforts have been uneven, and often swayed by the larger national sentiment.
...
‘I Just Can’t Stand By’: American Veterans Join the Fight in Ukraine (Published 2022)
All across the country, small groups of military veterans are hungry for what they see as a righteous fight to defend freedom against an autocratic aggressor.
