Ok, so some updates (my apologies, I find it brutally painful to write these posts from a mobile device):
First is our stateside friend “Katie” wants to host a fundraiser for our adopted medic “Dr. Julia”. She’s got it all planned out, has a great angle we think will draw attention to the cause, and of course I’ll share her fundraiser here as soon as I have it. This is a person who has donated to almost ALL of our fundraising efforts, and was even pictured in our very first medical supply run to Lviv back in spring of 2022. (obligatory picture from our first run)
Her goal is a “medium to large medical device to Dr. Julia”, which I think is a great way to go. Much like when we fixed Dr. Julia's vehicle last winter (or the power supply she and her unit is still using), a “device” allows her to help those in need for as long as it keeps working.
I have zero doubts Katie is going to do great work.
Also in the works (and in parallel to the above, and slated to start around the same time) is our fundraiser to get our drone pilot some much needed protection. As you already know, they’ve eaten a few strikes (one where he got VERY lucky) and of course, they’re losing drones to combat. We’d like to help him through these. We’ve already delivered the 12 IFAKs to his unit, so we’ve put the question of “how to help” to those who know better than myself. The unanimous response we got back was “soft armor”.
I know we’ve talked about plate carriers here in the past, but the mission profile for a drone pilot is different than that of a front-line combatant. Instead of “direct fire”, Yaro’s main concern is protecting himself from shrapnel from a nearby explosion.
Soft armor offers greater coverage than the plate carriers, but it’s not rated for direct rifle fire, and it does weigh a bit more. However, when it comes to protection from shrapnel: Chest, Back, sides, neck, and even groin are all offered protection (a helmet and eye protection will be the focus of future fundraising efforts).
Given that Yaro doesn’t need to ruck as far as a font line combatant, nor is he expected to move as quickly, the soft armor made sense to us. More protection, and it fits his mission profile.
And finally, we have a follow on care package for the 24th Convict Battalion (“The Redeemed”). This was purchased by Mrs. Hungary and I after we traded some credit card points for two $100 gift cards. Together we bought 12 bottles of water purification tablets (the small type, that you’d take backpacking) and their requested protein bars (one of the boxes took a bit of a hit, looks like)
We don't want these guys thinking we forgot about them.
We've printed instructions for use in Ukrainian and put them in every envelope. They read as follows
add 2 tablets to 1 liter of water
Screw cap on loose
Wait 5 minutes
secure cap and mix well
wait 30 minutes
remove cap, drink water, and kick russian ass.
Together until victory. Glory to the heroes.
I’m waiting on the novaposht details for the unit, but these will be making this trip as well. If we can’t re-establish contact then Dr. Julia or Yaro will be our recipients.
And last, but certainly not least. Our second driver (Owner of “Anytime Express” out of Ramstein, Germany) reports that he’s filled 9 boxes of baby food and diapers and may have a couple stragglers still trickling in. Officially we both have “closed donations”, buuuuuuut….. *wink wink*
I’m sure I’m forgetting something in all of this, but we’ve been a bit “non-stop” lately. Fingers (toes and eyes) very much crossed for this run.
Most importantly: Thank you all for your continued hard work all the way through this. I know we’re all exhausted right (and have probably been so for quite some time now), but I also know we’re going to be in this for the long-haul. Please make sure you’re taking care of your mental health. Duck out when you need to, join back in when you're ready. Even front-line soldiers rotate to the rear.
Cheers, everyone. And thank you for making this possible.
