Letter From An American Veteran In Ukraine

A letter from a U.S. veteran training and supporting Ukrainian forces in Donbas spells out the stakes of the House MAGA pro-Putin blockade of aid to their besieged forces.  The writer uses the name Jackie:

"I am originally from Orange County, California. I served in the U.S. military for 8 years, stationed in Colorado, South Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.

I also worked as a contractor at the JFK Special Warfare Center in North Carolina, helping prepare our future special operators. As an American Soldier I have always been interested in our national security and global interests.

I am currently an assault instructor serving in the 3rd Assault Brigade, an elite unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This week we came to the rescue of Ukrainian Forces who had been enduring the Russian attack on the town of Avdiivka. [snip]

On the ground in Avdiivka, we felt the results of current American politics with full force. We are accustomed to fighting with less artillery than the Russians. We have already developed clever ways of using precision fire to counter Russian artillery. Our artillery soldiers use their American-provided weapons efficiently and effectively to batter the second-largest military in the world so that our assaulters have cover while they pierce like needles to rapidly cut the Russian Force’s critical arteries.

This week, our ammunition has effectively stopped. Our precision scalpel cannot cut.

We are used to fighting understrength. We are intelligently adapted and trained to push ourselves to the highest level of combat performance. But we cannot deliver miracles. We have already delivered many miracles in this war, and I am sure we will continue to do so, but hoping for miracles is not a reliable way to win a war.

I am extremely disappointed in a super-minority decision to block military aid to Ukraine in our American Congress. More than that, I need to go pray and say goodbye to more of my students and friends."  (our emphasis)

Reading this account from a veteran who's risking his life in Ukraine to train their men and women battling Putin's Russian occupiers only magnifies our rage at those treasonous MAGA politicians and their criminal cult leader for blocking military aid.  Maximum pressure has to be brought to bear on those House Republicans in swing districts to support the aid package passed by the Senate by the overwhelming vote of 70 - 29.

(photo: Soldiers of the Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade in Avdiivka, via Reuters)