More than 20 American volunteers are missing in action on the front lines in Ukraine, highlighting the increasing danger as foreign fighters step in to bolster the country's defenses. Over the past six months, there has been a spike in casualties among these volunteers, who fill urgent gaps in Ukraine's embattled military. The growing number of missing and deceased Americans underscores the complexity of repatriating bodies from the volatile battlefield.
Tragically, two American volunteers, Zachary Ford and another volunteer known as Gunther, were killed by a drone while attempting to destroy a bridge near Novohrodivka. Fellow fighter Redneck tried to save Ford by applying two tourniquets to stem his bleeding. Despite their efforts, Ford's last request was to see the sunlight as he succumbed to his injuries.
“A couple minutes later, (he) called me over and said he had loosened his tourniquets.” – Redneck
“I laid him down with his head towards the door, so he could look out, see the sun, and I just held his hand.” – Redneck
“The last really intelligible thing he said was, ‘never let it be said that the bastards killed me.’” – Redneck
The bodies of at least five American volunteers have not been retrieved from the battlefield after being killed in action in the past six months. The true death toll among American volunteers remains unclear, as confirmed by CNN investigations. Artur Dobroserdov, Ukraine's commissioner for missing persons, revealed that body swaps sometimes result in receiving bags containing remains of multiple individuals. He emphasized that more than 20 Americans remain missing, and any part of their remains can only be released for repatriation once identified.
Dobroserdov explained the challenges in identifying bodies amidst the chaos.
Guillaume, an organization that assists families of missing persons, reported a significant increase in cases from 16 in March to 88 dead or missing foreigners from 18 nationalities. Half of these foreigners are Americans. Guillaume stated that foreigners can be declared dead through DNA testing or court rulings based on substantial evidence.
The intensity of fighting across Ukraine's eastern front lines often leaves corpses uncollected, further complicating identification and repatriation efforts.
Cedric Hamm, a U.S. Army veteran from Texas, was killed in March in the northern border region of Sumy. Russian soldiers paraded his body on Telegram. Hamm's family identified him through a unique mixture of Aztec and U.S. military tattoos visible in a video livestream set up by Guillaume from the morgue.
Redneck highlighted the varied treatment of foreign fighters by officers on the ground, noting that some officers gave equal tasks to both foreigners and Ukrainians, while others exposed them to considerable danger.
“He always was playing music and dancing around that speaker,” – Redneck
“He knew we weren’t going to make it through another attack,” – Redneck
“so he started asking me to kill him so he wouldn’t be captured.” – Redneck
Sandy Nawrocki, commenting on the situation, described the tragic loss of life and the role foreign fighters play in Ukraine's defense.
“Innocent people getting killed, babies being slaughtered,” – Sandy Nawrocki
“We find that foreign operators do fill the gaps of very difficult, high-risk, high-reward operations. Their lives and their sacrifice are not wasted.” – Sandy Nawrocki
Redneck expressed a sentiment shared by many volunteers about their involvement in Ukraine.
“At this point, you cannot say it’s not America’s fight,” – Redneck
