Kansas City, you can get supplies to Ukrainians fighting Vladimir Putin. Here’s how
When I retired last fall after a 29-year military career and returned home to Kansas City, I did not expect to be delivering aid in Ukraine only months later. Most recently, I served as an Army colonel and Director for Russia and Eastern Europe on the National Security Council, where protecting our nation from Russian threats was my assigned duty. I thought my opportunity to serve the nation ended when I hung up my uniform, but Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war on his neighbor brought me out of retirement as part of Spirit of America’s relief efforts.
My wife and I were raised in Kansas City, and know how distant the war in Ukraine seems to our friends and neighbors. However, Russia is bringing this war to our doorstep. We all feel the pinch at the gas pump and the grocery store while the suffering in Ukraine casts a dark shadow over Europe, global food supplies and the national security of the United States.
With so much at stake, I felt compelled to join Spirit of America, a 19-year-old nonprofit that works to save lives and preserve the promise of freedom around the world. Since the war began, thanks to the generosity of American citizens, we’ve delivered more than 115 tons of lifesaving assistance — helmets, ready-to-eat meals, military-grade bulletproof vests and first aid kits — to the soldiers and volunteers on the front lines in Eastern Ukraine.
Many of the 110,000 Ukrainian civilian volunteers are fighting in hunting gear or T-shirts and using equipment they brought from home. At Spirit of America, we knew we could help. We leveraged our extensive networks to gain the necessary clearances required to rapidly purchase and export massive quantities of Level 4 body armor and ballistic helmets that can stop a Russian bullet and keep those volunteers in the fight. We’ve been doing this type of work alongside the U.S. Department of Defense since 2003 in more than 94 countries, developing the strategic insights into where assistance can be deployed to achieve the greatest impact.
On May 2, General Serhii Sobko, chief of staff for the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces, told me that at least 10,000 of Ukraine’s brave volunteers were currently deployed to the front lines without helmets, body armor or other protective gear. Fortunately, by the end of that day, Spirit of America had delivered another 8 tons of equipment, including more than 1,000 sets of body armor and helmets, to those Ukrainian patriots. We saved lives and helped the Ukrainians strengthen their underequipped units that are taking the fight to the enemy. Parents, children, aunts and uncles will return to their families thanks to America’s generous citizen-funded support.
But Ukraine needs more to turn the tide. Thousands of Ukrainians are still fighting with makeshift equipment. Our fourth planeload of lifesaving gear will be on the way in days, and we plan to send more planes as quickly as we can. We’ve also arranged to deliver nine buses to help rapidly move large concentrations of combat troops, which is essential to Ukraine’s ability to run circles around Russian forces.
The sooner we bring this conflict to a close with a Ukrainian victory, the sooner this existential challenge to freedom and the pursuit of independence for us all will pass into history. Please consider joining me in citizen-service to our great country, our allies and friends around the world, by supporting the defenders of Ukrainian freedom and democracy.
This story was originally published May 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.