Marine Veteran Volunteers to Fight for Ukraine

BUCK: James in Texas. James, you have an interesting story. Tell us what’s going on.

CALLER: Yes, sir. Mega dittos to you and Mr. Travis. Mega heavenly dittos to Rush. He’s sorely missed. I am a United States Marine Corps and U.S. Army Reserve veteran, almost seven and a half years of service. I am choosing to answer the call for volunteers to go to Ukraine and help them fight the Russian invaders.

BUCK: Tell us more about this. Why would you, as a United States Marine, why do you feel compelled to risk your life on behalf of the Ukrainian fight against Russia?

CALLER: So through the years throughout the global war of terrorism and my participation in it, I’ve lost a lot of friends over there. I’ve lost more friends to the scars that don’t show here. And then with all of our bureaucrats and politicians the way those wars have been handled — Iraq, Afghanistan, and everything in between — it doesn’t seem like the global war on terrorism was the correct cause for me to fight far.

This cause, though, I remember as a child even being told, you know, the Russians, even after the Soviet Union fell, the Russians want to rebuild the Soviet Union. And Vladimir Putin is dead set on doing that. You can see tanks and armored personnel carriers rolling into Ukraine flying the hammer and sickle flag.

So, I mean, if there hasn’t been a just cause to fight in the past, you know, since Vietnam, I believe firmly that this is a just cause to fight. The Ukrainians are more than willing to fight for their freedom and their independence. They don’t ask for anybody else to come onto their land and any other foreign nation’s militaries to come and help them fight directly, but they do ask for volunteers, and they do ask for all the tools.

BUCK: James, can I ask how far along in this process you are? Do you have a plane ticket? Do you know who you’d link up with and how you’d get across the border? And how far into this are you?

CALLER: So, I’m waiting on the passport to come in to be expedited. I’ve been told that will take another week or so. From there, I have to wait for my turn for the interview with the defense attache, with the U.S. consulate. There’s one here in Houston. And then from there they’ll go over my experience, find out where they need me, and then I’ve been told that they’ll even — the Ukrainian government will even provide airfare and get you over there.

BUCK: Well, James, you’re a brave man. Thank you for your service to this country, and stay safe if you do make it over there. Stay safe. Those Russians, they fight dirty. Thanks for calling in, James.