Zumwalt – On the Ground in Ukraine: Young Americans Answer the ‘Call of the Child’

NEAR THE UKRAINIAN BORDER, Poland – The safe house near the Ukrainian border served as a transit point for volunteers coming to Poland, heading into Ukraine, and those transiting out from Ukraine back to the U.S. and elsewhere.

All were volunteers working with a non-governmental organization (NGO), Aerial Recovery, which had one primary purpose – relocating as many orphan children as possible out of harm’s way due to the dangers created by the unprovoked Russian invasion.

That invasion was launched on February 24th. Aerial, established a few years earlier to provide recovery assistance whenever natural disasters struck, was now facing its first operation within a combat zone. Its task was made somewhat easier by the number of veterans who, having heard about the effort, volunteered to assist.

Volunteers, like ships passing in the night, transited in and out of the Polish safe house – some knowing each other from earlier humanitarian efforts, others new to the game. But due to a shared sense of purpose to help these orphans, it did not take long for all, whether the old guard leaving Ukraine or the new guard heading in, to share a common bond of all for one and one for all.

All were motivated to join for reasons personal to them. While most were veterans – experienced at venturing into harm’s way, risking life and limb – others who had not so served were motivated by recollections of their own childhood experiences. They included volunteers who had been orphans themselves or had siblings who had been orphans or had just grown up minus a parent and recognized what these orphans were going through.

One, a fitness trainer from Los Angeles, Vlad Finn, 29, had been a Ukrainian orphan himself.

Some, like me, despite punching the age clock at seven-plus decades, were motivated by a sense of frustration over the Russian invasion and sought to make some contribution, no matter how minor, on behalf of the Ukrainian people suffering the consequences of war. Spending most of April near the Ukrainian border, this ancient warrior and a fellow retired Marine, David Decker (the two of us had gone through basic training together 51 years earlier), due to the benefit of age, were relegated to a support role that kept us safely on the Polish side of the border. But it gave us a chance to observe with great pride more youthful volunteers transiting across the border to rescue Ukrainian kids awaiting the arrival of these superheroes relocating them to safety.

Ranging in age from early 20s to late 40s, the volunteers were mostly men but included a few women. They had left their homes, wives or husbands, and children to fill a need in Ukraine that the government, responsible for operating the orphanages, was unable to fulfill. While these young volunteers called David and me “grandpa” – affectionately, we think – their participation renewed our faith in America’s younger generations. Among these superheroes was my own personal hero: my son, who had initially helped organize the relocation effort, returning for a second operational tour.

Despite lacking many comforts of home, they were just as highly motivated when they left as when they arrived, having endured the cold and many sleepless nights. As many of their “snowflake” peers were making headlines complaining about frivolous things in life, these young people were making a difference, quietly saving lives, driven by a sense of compassion their pampered peers totally lacked.

Although some orphans had previously been brought across the border to Poland by other groups, this had created a two-fold problem. The orphans lacked documentation, making their later return to Ukraine difficult once hostilities ended. Additionally, sex traffickers lingered like wolves at the border to snap up isolated children who, with no place to go, were vulnerable to sinister advances. Thus, Aerial volunteers had to relocate the orphans to safe areas within Ukraine, ensuring a responsible caretaker remained with each group to provide for their safety and welfare.

Removed from the sound of exploding Russian artillery rounds, bombs, and missiles, as well as warning alarms of impending attacks, orphans – scared out of their wits – would quickly smile as temporary homes away from the fighting welcomed them. While they were finally able to get a good night of uninterrupted sleep, the superheroes who brought them there were left to catch a wink for an hour or two, curled up on a cold floor or in a vehicle before heading out on yet another relocation mission.

Aerial and an affiliate NGO, due to the long line of volunteers signing up to help, have been able to evacuate almost 1,000 orphans to date.

While the identity of the real author responsible for the quote is open to debate, its truth cannot be ignored: “Peo­ple sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do vio­lence on their behalf.” Today, we sleep soundly in our beds at night only because rough men – and women – stand ready to do right by children in Ukraine unable to save themselves. Thank God for those who have heard and responded to the “call of the child.”

Lt. Colonel James G. Zumwalt, USMC (Ret.), is a retired Marine infantry officer who served in the Vietnam war, the U.S. invasion of Panama, and the first Gulf war. He is the author of Bare Feet, Iron Will–Stories from the Other Side of Vietnam’s Battlefields, Living the Juche Lie: North Korea’s Kim Dynasty and Doomsday: Iran–The Clock is Ticking. He is a senior analyst for Ravenna Associates, a corporate strategic communications company, who frequently writes on foreign policy and defense issues.