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#354514 05/03/2022 02:00 AM
Joined: Jun 2002
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Gaspare Offline OP
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Bit of a long story so if your not in the mood stop and move on to another topic:

My wifes family is from Ukraine.. Most live in the south central part of Vinnitsa.. The city has been bombed but no where as much as Kiev and other cities..

My Sister in law lives in Kiev. About 10 miles or so from the city center... She had been helping the resistance by her and a few other women were making bread, and soups as much as to fill 2 5 gal. military metal gas cans. Meeting some military and exchanging can and doing again the next day. Out of a group of 15 or so mainly women there were 2 older men who were armed with long guns. Stored at their houses were some gas bombs and a couple old bolt action Nagants, and couple pistols.... One morning while walking back to their houses/camp she looked up and saw what she described as a 'missile the size of a full sized school bus fly overhead.! She heard it hit miles away and saw the smoke etc. Later that day she found out the town next to hers had been completely destroyed.. It was of no military importance,,just peoples houses, small farms etc. She got spooked. Filled with terror. Didn't want to leave their 'camp' anymore, couldn't sleep.. She conveyed to us,,, she had to leave,,,it was time.. ...

So,,a little over 3 weeks ago we smuggled my sister here to the US!! She had to get from the outskirts of Kiev,,,to the Polish/Ukrainian border. No easy task.. I told her,,,'if you can get there [the border] I can get you to the US'... - Over the years I've met some very good people in Poland I definitely call friends. A friend to me doesn't ask why when you ask a favor,,they just say yes and whats your plan...
- I asked a very big favor.. - Could they drive from Warsaw to the border meet with friends they had there, and get my sister in law and bring her back to Warsaw. Its a far drive, complicated every step of the way, dangerous.. I said name your price.. They would accept no money, only for me to cover expenses [gas, food, bribes, etc].

* They were successful! She wanted to go directly to Warsaw airport!. . We bought her a flight here by standby, and a opened end ticket to go back when ever she wanted to.. She arrived in the US.. A bit shell shocked, jumpy,,couldn't sleep much..

We all gave her the love and support she needed to put the experience in the back of her mind... She had started to rest, relax a bit.. We followed the news closely as we had many cousins, uncles, friends in the fight. One cousin was in the East and we lost all contact with him. He has a wife and 3 young children he had gotten them to Germany. But he is lost. We still have not heard anything from him frown.. A couple weeks ago a Aunt and Uncle were murdered when a Cruse Missile hit their 4 story apartment building..No military importance,, just apartment buildings, stores, bazars etc. They were good good people,,in their late 70s. Their children fighting and in the medical corps..

- The more news she watched,,the support she saw coming from the US, Poland, most of the E.U.,,our blazing US patriotism here... She announced one night,,'things must change'. 'This must stop'. And, ;it can't stop if I'm here!' frown -

This past Friday,,,she flew out on a LOT flight to Warsaw! shocked My wife and everyone begged her not to go. To just wait another month.. I grabbed her and said in my poor Ukrainian,,,'We love you,,Please..just wait one more week'. Her mind was made up.. She was already gone,,,just waiting for the flight.... My wife so disrought she couldn't even go to the airport.. My sister in law said to me'''what if it was you? Would I have left?,, would I stay here? I couldn't answer her,,,she knows me and knew what my answer would be. I gave her a small pocket bible I keep in the glove box in the car. Pushed it in her carry on,,,walked her to her gate,,,and she was gone............

- We know she made it to Warsaw. That she was trying to cross the border back in to Ukraine. The phone has been dead and we have not been able to contact her.. All we can do is pray for her and the rest of the family...


What would YOU do if it was your country? Run?, hide? Fight? try and make some kind of difference? ,,,Or just immigrate to a new country and start again?

Last edited by Gaspare; 05/03/2022 02:07 AM.
Gaspare #354524 05/03/2022 04:42 PM
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 816
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 816
Likes: 28
Gas
I can't imagine what you are going through. You can only hope for the best with what's going on.
This has got to be the worst time of everyone's lives over there, and there family elsewhere.
What to do? A very hard question. Most of us older guys would probably say stay and fight, the younger generations, some yes, a lot hell no. The same would happen here in the US.
The US is stuck in there dilemma, following the RULES of War, when the enemy does not.
Just look at Vietnam and all the middle east wars. We gained nothing but lost lives and lost money.
The old Catch22.
Hope yours gets to safety, and this thing ends soon.
Ed

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Gaspare #354526 05/03/2022 05:38 PM
Joined: Mar 2006
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G,

I was 6 years old and living in Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution and managed to get Into Austria after the brutal takedown by Russian forces.

I grew up hearing stories about the brutally of Russia both from WWII and their invasion of Hungary.

We have not learned from past mistakes.

I am amazed at how well and fiercely the Ukrainian forces are standing up against Putin's Putanas.
John


Always looking for Eickhorns and etched bayonets.
1 member likes this: Gaspare
Gaspare #354729 05/19/2022 05:01 AM
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Gaspare Offline OP
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Well in this and the other topic I explained that we smuggled my sister in law here in from Rough trip. Had to get from Kiev to the Polish border,,,then from there to Warsaw...Thanks to some old but true friends in Warsaw they got her and she camped out at the airport until she made a standby flight.... BUT, after 3 weeks here in the US she felt she had to go back!. Yes she went back. Crossing the border but couldn't get to Kiev. To dangerous for a 50 yr old woman travelling alone. So she is staying at a very small town where her mother left us a very small house about 4 hrs south of Kiev.. Shes cleaned up the relatives graveyard spots. Helped the priest there a bit,, but more important she planted a bunch of different crops.... Ukraine is amazing. Those bags of potting soil we buy here to start of plantings/seedlings,,,,well thats how all the dirt is there. That loamy black earth. You drop a seed in and a bit of water an it grows! ,,anything,,,it all grows beautifully.

- Some bad news, :(,,my wife lost her 1st cousin. Millie we called him. 63 years old, wife , 2 children and 2 grandchildren. . Murdered while fighting in the South East. Things are very rough there,,,his son our cousin we still haven't heard from in a couple weeks now... We pray the Lord is keeping his magazine and belly full and him safe..

- This is a war of attrition.. Putins 48 hr shock and awe only shocked and awed his own troops!. He might be playing it cool Finland and Sweden are joining NATO but its driving him absolutely nuts.. Finland has beaten Russia twice in the past. His BS rhetoric doesn't work on them. .It's not working on anyone anymore. Ukraine will build back better,,they've' done it before..... I would like to thank the OUN and the other Nationalists groups for agreeing to not fight under flying their flags but going with Pres Z. to all fight under the Blue & Yellow,,thank you..

More lives will be lost. But Ukraine will win this thing and get back whatever he thinks he annexed. He's got no idea what he's playing with. These men and women will fight,,fight to the last...... Same as we would do if we were getting invaded and no one was helping. Thanks to those donating, those from other countries fighting there,,thank you,,and we pray for you.., Gaspare

- Old poster from shortly after WW2:

Ukraine.jpg (205.11 KB, 33 downloads)
Last edited by Gaspare; 05/19/2022 05:13 AM.

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