Fighters in Eastern Ukraine - Heroes' Café presentation

Carl Larson shows where he served in eastern Ukraine. The ORKS are what they call Russians.
Photo by Dough Cerretti

Story by Jean Albertson,

Retired school teacher, Seattle Schools

Photos provided by Carl Larson, except as noted

I attended Heroes' Café Shoreline last Tuesday, April 11, 2023 and heard an American service man named Carl Larson, an US Army veteran of the Iraq war.

Larson's German comrade
was killed by artillery fire

He had just returned from an eight-month duty in Ukraine as a member of the International Legion for Defense of Ukraine. 

It was a privilege to meet him, and in doing so, put a face to all the news I hear, that can otherwise seem somewhat ambiguous.

The photos he took on the front lines while there showed a portrayal of what is really happening. He shows the face of a fellow soldier from Germany in his unit that was hit by artillery and killed, after 45 minutes of trying to cling to life.

A French soldier eating a tin of sardines
Photo by Carl Larson

There is another of a soldier from France sitting in a trench eating from a can of sardines (to him that was an absolute luxury.) 

If it weren’t for these heroic men and women holding back forces on enemy lines, we could be living in similar situations as those European countrymen.

Instead of deciding what to have for dinner tonight, we could be asking, “Will I have dinner tonight?”

As citizens in the US, we live privileged life styles in this free country and many feel entitled to them.

Members of International Legion for Defense of Ukraine, they come from all over the world.

So many lives unfortunately, were sacrificed for the freedoms we have today. I for one know it’s all too easy to sit back while listening to the news as others do, and think of it as “their problem.” 

 Carl’s Ukrainian Army Shoulder Patch

Western European countries know all too well from history (and the present) the threats close to them and what the future may bring.

It all appears distant to us. The world has seemingly gotten smaller, and there may be a potential knocking at the back door; that our freedom could be lost as well.

To support the Defense of Ukraine, go to this link for more information: https://www.spot.fund/UkraineDefenseSupport