No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
Reserve & National Guard

OPINION: Ukraine, a nation of warriors

Will Martin
by Will Martin
February 28, 2022
Ukraine

Ukraine army, 80th Airborne Regiment, and U.S. Army soldiers, 1st Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, Joint Regional Detachment, South Carolina National Guard, stand in formation during independence day celebration, Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Hohenfels, Germany, Aug. 24, 2012. Photo by Staff Sgt. Araceli Donaldson.

We’re less than a week into the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Predictably, the Kremlin’s propaganda machine is tireless in its effort to portray Ukraine as the violator of peace. Russia, they say, is a nation with its hands tied in its assault on its Slavic neighbors. National security forced their hand.

Of course, nothing could be more absurd. Only the most egregious grifters have echoed their claims (more than one American cable news pundit among them).

But even before the first Russian missile found its target, another harmful storyline emerged. Our social media feeds are flooded by what can be described only as pity on the Ukrainian people, complete with prayer hands emojis.

Enough. We need to drop the narrative that Ukraine is a helpless victim. Ukraine is a nation of warriors. I’m lucky enough to have broken bread and swapped stories with some of their finest. They will not simply roll over and bow to Putin and his henchmen.

Putin has chosen violence, and, now, he will have it.

Before retiring in 2019, I served for a dozen years with the California Army National Guard. For nearly 30 years, the Cal Guard has served as Ukraine’s foremost military training partner through the State Partnership Program. Like many Cal Guard officers, I traveled to Ukraine on several occasions. What I witnessed was a thirst for freedom so deep, I found it convicting – even foreign.

America suffers from a profound military-civilian divide. Our volunteer armies wage wars on soil and sand in places most of us couldn’t find on a map. And our deep pockets ensure we enjoy a decided edge in nearly every conflict. War, it seems, is rarely close to home. No such divide exists in Ukraine.

As I scroll my Twitter feed, I’m struck not only by Ukrainian mayors and council members taking up arms but by civilians patrolling the streets, armed with family rifles and Molotov cocktails. I find courage as I watch a pharmaceutical sales rep fill his office with firearms and body armor, refusing to abandon Kyiv to its oppressors. I’m in awe of the defiance of 13 border guards, uttering a final and fatal “Go f*** yourself!” rather than surrender their island to a Russian gunship. Glory to Ukraine, indeed.

No, this isn’t a nation that desires our pity. This is a people that demands our admiration. As the world watches, they demonstrate what genuine resistance looks like.

One needs to return to the American Revolution to observe something similar here in the states. Outgunned by an empire, colonial militias doggedly clung to the hope of lasting freedom as tightly as they did their rifles. Farmers and shopkeepers fought alongside trained soldiers. It was enough to turn back an invading king.

Putin is no king, but his aspirations of building a kingdom seem clear. This isn’t so much about Russia vs. Ukraine, as it is a despot dreading the democracy at his doorstep. But Goliath has charged after David only to learn he is more warrior than the shepherd of sheep.

I don’t want to downplay the gravity of Ukraine’s suffering or the uncertainty of their future. They are in a fight, to be sure. And there is more at stake than the independence of the Ukrainian people; this conflict might prove a watershed for the future of European freedom.

But Ukraine doesn’t need our hashtags or pleas for mercy. It requires concrete, global support. It will take a coalition to quiet this tyrant. This conflict is a test of our democratic resolve. Let those of us who claim a love for freedom not be found wanting.

Read comments
Tags: Army National GuardeditorialOP/EdopinionRussiaSPPState Partnership ProgramUkraine
Will Martin

Will Martin

Will Martin is an award-winning writer with more than 20 years of journalism and public affairs experience. An Iraq War veteran, he served in the Army National Guard and Air Force Reserve for 21 years before retiring in 2019. His writing passions include military and veterans issues, sports, and social justice.

Related Posts

OPINION: Individual Ready Reserve offers chance to ‘take a knee’

by Emily Solberg
2 weeks ago
0
Individual Ready Reserve

The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is a little-known option that could help with retention, according to one reservist and military...

Read more

OPINION: Finding value in the repetition of deployment training

by Amanda Huffman
1 month ago
0
Deployment training

Deployment training often includes a lot of repetition and can sometimes feel boring or frustrating beyond the point of reason.

Read more

How one soldier brings Army values into the classroom

by Nancy Craker-Yahman
3 months ago
0
Army values

Guardsmen whose civilian careers put them in the classroom have an opportunity to instill the Army values into their students.

Read more

OPINION: No, Tom Brady, the NFL season is not like a military deployment

by Emily Solberg
3 months ago
0
Tom Brady

While talking work/life balance on the Let’s Go podcast, Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady compared football seasons to deployment.

Read more

OPINION: Marine veteran addresses aftermath of going viral

by AmeriForce Exclusive
5 months ago
0
Going viral

Marine Corps veteran Richelle Futch reflects on what happened after going viral with one of her LinkedIn posts.

Read more

OPINION: Earning the match is not ‘maxing out your TSP’

by Eric Zedalis
8 months ago
0
TSP

There’s a standard to “pass,” and a standard to “max” on physical fitness tests. The same logic applies to thrift-savings...

Read more

Ads

Let's get social

The RNG Drill

News delivered directly to your inbox

Let's connect!

ABOUT US

  • OUR STORY
  • OUR TEAM
  • OUR WRITERS

MAGAZINE

  • GET PRINT
  • GET DIGITAL
  • GET THE NEWSLETTER

GET RESOURCES

  • VETERANS TOOLKIT

ADVERTISE

  • GET OUR MEDIA KIT
  • PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

SUBMISSIONS

  • PITCH US
  • SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Never miss out on the latest stories.

© 2021 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Privacy Policy | Terms | Site by Swiss Commerce

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • YOUR CAREER
    • UNIT TRAINING
    • DEPLOYMENT
    • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
    • RECRUITING & RETENTION
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • TRANSITION
  • EDUCATION
  • MILITARY LIFE
    • MILITARY SPOUSES
    • MILITARY KIDS
    • PARENTING
  • OFF DUTY
    • ENTERTAINMENT
    • TRAVEL
  • HEALTH
    • FITNESS
    • MEDICINE
    • MENTAL HEALTH
  • OPINION
  • HISTORY
  • MONEY
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • BENEFITS
  • GET THE MAGAZINE
    • PRINT MAGAZINES
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINES
    • GET THE NEWSLETTER
  • RESOURCES
    • VETERANS TOOLKIT
  • ABOUT US
    • MEET OUR TEAM
    • OUR AUTHORS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • SUBMIT YOUR STORY
    • PITCH US
    • CONTACT

© 2022 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Site by SCBW