Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 left the rest of the world scrambling to deal with the fallout. Many Western nations have imposed sanctions against Russia, while also sending billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine and allowing refugees to cross their borders. More from NextShark: Meet the Artist Behind the Iconic Portrait of the Beloved Vicha Ratanapakdee The invasion was a constant reminder of the fragility of the global geopolitical climate. Tensions have risen between China and Taiwan, for example, along with the thought that other countries could follow Russia’s lead. Several American volunteers, most of whom were former soldiers, have gone to serve in the Ukrainian volunteer army. The missing volunteers, such as veteran Grady Kurpasi, were reportedly captured by Russian forces. More from NextShark: Calling all allies: See what happened on Biden’s mission-driven Asia tour Military background Kim participated in Ukraine as a soldier in an international volunteer legion from late April to mid-June. He then returned home to Atlanta. He was one of several volunteers who had a military background, having enlisted in the Army right out of high school in 2005.
More From NextShark: Why Old Asians Hit Racists In New DC Comics Superhero Anthology After going through basic training, he joined the Artillery Corps and served two tours in Iraq before attending the Georgia Institute of Technology for college in 2011.
“I’ve been a citizen ever since,” Kim jokes. When he faced the opportunity to fight in Ukraine, it had been 11 years since he left the army. There was much uncertainty, Kim admits, about whether he could make a difference in Ukraine.
More from NextShark: ‘I’ll keep being brave’: World War II Filipino ‘comfort women’ survivors fight for recognition, apology Driving factor Although volunteering to fight was not an “overnight decision,” he shares that “a very haunting image” of the Butsa massacre, where more than 400 bodies — many of them civilians executed with their hands tied behind their backs — were found their backs — played a big part in his eventual decision to leave. The story continues The image was something Kim “had a hard time shaking.” He says you could see the “heartbreak” in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s face. “And I think it’s silly to say, ‘Oh, I went there because of a picture,’” Kim says with a laugh. “But that was definitely one of the driving factors.” “That’s how I came to the decision to go there. knowing that I had the skill set, knowing that I could help. If you can help, perhaps you have an obligation to help, and so I ended up giving two weeks’ notice and arranged my trip.’ Preparation process Kim shares that when you leave the military you have to return all your armor and field gear, but there are some “scraps” that are left over. As for the things he had to buy, he says he’s “gone out of memory.” He was also in contact with the Ukrainian embassy, ​​which gave him basic instructions on how to enter the country. “I certainly wasn’t alone in this. There are thousands of people from all over the world — from [the] United States, from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — you know, where they were going. So the Embassy of Ukraine was able to facilitate this trip for many people, not just me.” Kim says that after putting in his two-week notice, he had “time to sit there” and get his shopping done. He spent his time packing and talking to his brother and some “old soldiers” to make sure he had everything he needed. “And it was a team effort,” he adds. In total, Kim took about 100 pieces of equipment to Ukraine, including a Swiss army knife, 550 shoelaces and some ponchos. His uniform included neck gaiters, boots and grenade holsters. The most expensive pieces of equipment were large items, such as his helmet and armor, which can be purchased by citizens in the country. “So the armor – the front plates [cost] about $700, rear plates are about $700. Then you had about two side dishes, which are about $400. Helmets [cost] about $700. I think overall, [it] they ended up running about $5,000 in equipment, maybe a little less.” Weapons were the only thing Kim didn’t have to pack and prepare. “When you get here [Ukraine will] they issue you one and then you don’t have to worry about restocking,” he shares. Trips When asked what he felt while on the plane he was heading to, Kim says that fear is inevitable, saying, “There’s definitely always an element of fear. I think, you know, maybe there are some people who choose not to admit it or block it out. But I think it’s pretty universal. There’s always that fear.” Kim adds, “That being said, because it wasn’t my first time going into a combat zone — in a weird way, it’s almost comforting, so familiar[ity]. When I flew to Iraq, we did exactly the same thing: We flew all the way to New York and we flew all the way to Greenland and then Germany and we went through Europe. So the flight path I took was very similar, and the flight, the boredom. The flight is very familiar. It was almost like riding a bicycle — a very dangerous bicycle.” He states that his “primary” concern, however, was that he had forgotten some things about the battle. “I’ve been working in systems operations at a financial company for the past 10 years,” he says. “Do I still remember how to train in basic combat, maneuver in basic combat drills, how to do basic rifle shooting? These are things I’m supposed to help Ukrainians train with. Do I remember all the little details?’ “So there was more of a concern and a review of the old Army manuals to make sure that I’m going in there and helping, that I’m actually providing good quality help, and not just ‘Oh yeah, this is how you do it..,’” adds Kim. “Well, I guess it’s more anxiety, nervousness and, to a lesser extent, a bit of fear. But I think you get over that after your first combat tour.” He also adds that he has his own rifle, which he fires “occasionally” around “once or twice a year” to “keep this skill from being completely humiliating.” Ukraine In Ukraine, Kim first went to the capital of Kiev, which seemed far from a war zone. “Once you get there, at least within the city of Kiev, you don’t feel like there’s a war going on,” he says. “It is almost [like] you can pretend it’s just a normal European city: you’ve got restaurants open, you’ve got people walking, people going shopping.” “There’s not a lot of damage, especially in the middle of Kiev, so you could almost pretend there’s no war going on,” he adds. “Maybe the air sirens, the occasional caliber cruise missiles coming from Russia. Other than that, you can pretend there’s no war going on.” One thing Kim says he noticed, however, was the complete absence of children. “All the schools are closed, almost all the children have been evacuated,” he says. “So it’s kind of weird to have an adults-only town.” A huge part of Kim’s job was to teach Ukrainian soldiers how to use American weapons, because many of them had no experience using the missiles or drones sent by the US government. He says that “90% of the time,” he and his team would only focus on training, but it could all happen in a day. “There were some days, you know, you drive by a house and the roof is completely destroyed and you go talk to the owner, and it’s some old lady who still lives in that house even though her house is completely destroyed. “, he shares. “This is in an area called Irpin that had been hit particularly hard,” Kim says of the video below that she shared with NextShark. “Her son and her husband had been killed in the attacks and it was just her and there was no roof right above her bed, nothing but bullet holes.” Kim admits he felt like there wasn’t much he could do for the woman at the time, and that building a roof “feels like a drop in the bucket” considering everything he’s been through. The desire to share their experiences was something Kim found to be a common theme among Ukrainian civilians. “There’s just this feeling among a lot of civilians that people might have forgotten or be okay with what’s going on there,” he says. “They are happy to just come and volunteer to share their stories and volunteer their information. … And you just listen.” It is illegal for Ukrainian men to leave the country, so for those whose wives and children have been evacuated, “stories” are all they have left, Kim adds. As for the language barrier, Kim shares that he used some Duolingo for Ukrainian. However, two weeks was not enough time to learn a new language. “Fortunately, speaking English in Ukraine — and I guess many of the Eastern European countries — is something people do when they’re looking for higher job prospects,” he says. “I’d say at least 10% of the population speaks some English, with some more fluent than others for sure.” Living conditions Kim could not reveal the location of his sleeping quarters. However, he shared that they operated out of a “main facility” in which soldiers slept on the ground. “It’s important to have our luggage list when we come,” says Kim, who brought his own sleeping mat and sleeping bag. While the facility had running water, there were no showers. “The locals would provide for us [with] showers in their own homes and hotels,” he shares. “I would say every couple of days — maybe three or four, sometimes more — …