The young foreigners of Ukraine

A Polish friend visited the Old Country recently, and while there he visited Ukraine to see what Russia's bloody war foretells for Europe and indeed the world. Among his other ventures, he is involved with a charity that supports the relief effort, so he tapped into the delivery of supplies including a centrifuge (for separating blood plasma from the more perishable stuff) to a medical facility. It weighed hundreds of pounds and wouldn't fit through the door, so everyone joined in to take out a window and windowframe and hoist the centrifuge through the opening. Among other risks that such activities poses, it seems that health insurance ceases once a traveler enters a war zone, a definition that fits the entire country. (Not long after he and his wife and son were there, a Russian missile hit the town, casualties unknown.)

But for me the amazing part of this story is the people they met! American military veterans were especially populous on the ground, but they also met a Canadian veteran and an Irish girl. One of the activities the ex-servicemen are valued for is that they can examine foreign volunteers who want to join Ukraine's International Legion, to weed out the crazies and those with no military experience who would serve no purpose other than to soak up some of the Russian explosions. (A function not to be undervalued, by the way. If the artillery shell is going to explode anyhow, better that it kill a nutter from San Francisco than a trained and hardened soldier.) Mostly however these foreigners have built and operate kitchens and dormitories, to feed and comfort shell-shocked children, women, and old men from the combat provinces, many of whom have no idea where they are going or how they hope to survive the next few months or years.

I know from my own experience as a thirtysomething reporter in Vietnam that young people have no sense whatever and just assume that they're immortal. Still, I am teary-eyed at the courage and compassion of these volunteers. If I were thirty today instead of ninety, I would love to be in their company.