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an2 kirjutas: ↑05 Veebr, 2025 9:31 https://censor.net/en/news/3534028/18-y ... was-killed

Noor britt surma saanud oma esimesel missioonil peale väljaõpet.

Roamless kirjutas: ↑23 Veebr, 2025 23:07 Tõenäoliselt pigem mingi nö tänuembleem abistamise eest, mitte eestlasest soomukijuht.

JD Vance’s cousin fought for over two years in Ukraine as part of the "Da Vinci Wolves."

47-year-old Nate Vance, a former U.S. Marine, joined Ukraine’s forces in 2022, saying he "saw history being written."

"JD is smart, but what they did to Zelensky was a dishonest ambush. Being relatives doesn’t mean I’ll accept him aiding in the killing of my comrades." – Nate Vance.

Nate and JD share grandparents: Beverly, JD's mother, is Nate's father, James. The two men spent a vacation together, in Middletown, in JD's family or in California, where the family of Nate has ...

The Texan spent three years in Ukraine, two and a half of which were spent fighting on the bloodiest fronts. He despairs of the position of his cousin and Donald Trump.

Nate Vance served in the US Marine Corps 20 years ago. From 2001 to 2022, he lived a peaceful life in Texas. For many years, he made a career in an oil company. He is a man with deep-rooted Republican beliefs who is engaged in hunting and sport shooting.

In March 2022, three weeks after the invasion began, Nate traveled to Lviv. He said he wanted to "help out somehow, with logistics or medical support" as he said, "I saw history being made."

One morning at the hotel, the former Marine met a British volunteer who was looking for foreigners with military experience. "They were looking for anyone who had ever held a gun," Nate recalls.

Nate served in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces as part of the legendary unit 'Da Vinci's Wolves battalion'.

"He was older than us. We went to the shooting range. He took an AK-47, without a sight, and set the target 800 meters away. Everyone laughed at him. But when he hit the target five times in a row, the laughter stopped," recalls Dmitro, his comrade.

It is known that Nate Vance fought as part of the "Honor" company. "They were lawyers, professors, engineers... They left everything to protect their country," Nate says.

"He is an excellent fighter with a cool-headed nature. Fifteen times we should have died — fifteen times we were lucky to survive," said Serhii Filimonov, commander of the "Da Vinci Wolves" battalion.

The vice president's cousin completed his service in Ukraine in January 2025. "I hope to continue to defend Ukraine in another way, because it really needs it," he says.

A lifelong Republican, Nate now faces misunderstanding from people he always agreed with. Even his own family. "Donald Trump and my cousin clearly believe they can sweet-talk Vladimir Putin. They're wrong. The Russians are unlikely to forget our support for Ukraine. We're Vladimir Putin's useful idiots," he laments.

"JD is a good and intelligent guy. When he criticized aid to Ukraine, I thought it was because he had to cater to a certain electorate and that it was just political maneuvering. But what they did to Zelenskyy (along with Donald Trump -ed.) was an ambush of absolute bad faith," he said, adding that just because they were relatives, it didn't mean he would tolerate him contributing to the killing of his comrades.

Nate also adds that his cousin never tried to find out more about his war experiences nor did he ask him about his experiences on the front lines.

Remembering some of the many foreign legion volunteers who gave it all

U.S. Marine vet killed fighting for Ukraine returns home.

Corey Nawrocki, a decorated hero from Lansdale, gets full escort.