Sixteen months into the war, Ukraine is now on the offensive fighting to reclaim Russian-occupied land.
Critical to its efforts are U.S. combat veterans like Lance Zaal, helping not only to fight but to turn civilians into soldiers.
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WATCH HERE“I felt that this was different than anything that I did when I was in the military because I was helping a group of people that were really trying to defend themselves against this evil force that was so much more powerful than they were,” said Zaal.
Zaal, a Marine veteran and North Texas native, is back home after his fourth trip since the war began. In addition to training 80 men, he's supplied them with things like body armor vests, drones and first aid kits.
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SIGN UP His organization, Ghosts of Liberty, has spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars supporting an aviation unit deemed critical to the effort.
“After every trip that I make, the more I experience, the more stories I hear, the more I witness of the things that Russia has been doing to Ukraine, they make me frankly angry. So the more I go, the angrier I get,” he said.
Zaal said the same is true of the Ukrainians he’s fought alongside as they fight to protect democracy.
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Back here at home, he hopes people take notice and do what they can to show their support.
“I think it's important that we not leave our friends behind, and I think it's important that we remember who we are as Americans and what we stand for, and what it means to be an American,” said Zaal.
He encourages those wanting to help to call their elected officials to voice their support for Ukraine. He also encourages donations to his group, which gets supplies to the front lines, or others assisting the Ukrainian military.
