SEATTLE — A local military veteran has watched the invasion of Ukraine unfold from a laptop in Seattle.
“The fight that they’re doing now is damn admirable,” Branden said. He has chosen not to share his last name for safety reasons.
The Ukrainians are outnumbered, civilians are picking up guns and their president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling on the world for help.
"This night we have to stand ground. The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now," Zelenskyy said on February 22nd.
“I just thought ‘I’m going, I’m going,” Branden said after hearing the president of Ukraine speak.
The 37-year-old won’t be joining the fight as a soldier rather taking a backpack full of medical supplies. He's using money raised from a GoFundMe posted Friday morning.
“In four hours of having this it was already exceeding $1,500 which can buy a lot of emergency medical equipment which I can just carry in,” he said.
It's a mission he’s taking on as the US State Department is urging Americans not to travel to Ukraine citing a “very real risk of capture or death.” The Ukrainian government claims some 200 thousand foreigners from various countries have enlisted – a small number of those are believed to be Americans.
“I just feel obligated to go, I’m not married I don’t have kids. Send me,” Branden said. He adds he’s not going to fight, but rather use his medical training to help in any way he can.
“If I were to go for one week and just carry water that’s a win. That’s a major win.”
Soon he’ll pack a bag of medical supplies and head for Warsaw – for now, there’s no return date. He bought a one-way ticket.