An American volunteer who left Pennsylvania to fight for Ukraine believes the outcome here will shape the world for half a century. "Lighthouse", a soldier in the reconnaissance company of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, came to Ukraine from Pennsylvania, the brigade shared.
Lighthouse is one of thousands of foreigners fighting for Ukraine. Since Ukraine created the International Legion in 2022, volunteers from more than 50 countries, including the US, Britain, and Canada, have joined its ranks, and Lighthouse, a scout from Pennsylvania, is one American who traced the war to its roots and decided to come.
What brought him to Ukraine
The full-scale war in 2022 unsettled him and prompted him to research its causes, which took him back to where the war began. He traced it to the Revolution of Dignity of 2013 and 2014, when Ukrainians drove out a pro-Russian president. Then, Russia responded by seizing Crimea and igniting the war in the east.
"I understood pretty quickly that Ukraine was in a position to be fighting the good fight, and that Russia was being Russia, basically," he said.
He did not leave on impulse. He got in shape, went to the gym, and saved money, but the hardest part was his marriage: putting aside enough that his wife would be secure while he was gone, and making sure she was mentally prepared and would feel supported. She understood his reasoning, he said, and told him, "I support you. I support what you're doing."
Why did Lighthouse choose the 47th?
He chose the brigade carefully. He researched many units and contacted several recruiters before choosing the 47th, which has attracted a substantial foreign contingent, including a mostly Colombian reconnaissance-and-strike group.
What settled his choice was the people. He was able to talk to the men in his squad before he even came, and they would call him every few days.
"Hey, man, how are you doing? Do you need any help figuring out your schedule, or what to bring?" Lighthouse recalled.
They became friends before he got there. Ukraine has felt like home since, he said, a gorgeous place whose people are welcoming and proud of everyone who fights for their country.
He sees the war as the world's fight
For Lighthouse, the stakes reach far beyond Ukraine.
"What happens here now affects the rest of the world and potentially the future for the next 50 years," he said, which is why it matters to him that Ukraine can remain a democracy and stand up to the aggression.
He is not the first American in the 47th to say so. In May, the brigade profiled "Forrest", a 28-year-old North Carolina construction worker who followed the war since 2014 before enlisting and told others, "If you want to fight, go to the 47th."
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