Last year, a friend’s son boarded a plane on November 1 to fly to Germany for a nine-month activation to be part of the United States Security Assistance Group-Ukraine. And we all became a little more interested in the Ukraine War. A few months later his office moved from Germany to the U.S. Embassy in Kiev. I became even more interested in what it means to be living in Ukraine and involved in drone warfare.
WGN broadcast an interview with two young women who live in the Ukraine. Both had young children.
They recounted their nightly routine. After they got their babies to bed, they would pack a diaper bag with changes of clothes and some food, put the bag in the stroller and park the stroller by the front door. They were ready to evacuate if the air raid siren were activated. If necessary, they’d take their child to a safe spot—the subway system under Kiev.
You can track the frequency of air raids in Ukraine on alerts.in.ua or just search air raids in Ukraine. Ukraine is eight hours ahead of us. If you check it around 4PM, you may see the eastern part of the country in red. Check it at 9PM and you can see the red move across the nation, sometimes covering the whole nation. Recently drones crossed over into Poland and hit a house there. Polish forces shot down the other 19 drones that invaded their country.
Drones sound like lawn mowers. The BBC has reported that Ukrainian soldiers returning from the front lines can suffer post-traumatic stress when they return from the front lines if they hear lawnmowers or even the sound of bees swarming.
On Sept. 15, CNN posted the article “US drone dilemma: Why the most advanced military in the world is playing catchup on the modern battlefield.”
A drone that costs under $1,000 can take out a tank that cost over a million dollars. Ukraine has realized the value of being able to manufacture drones quickly and cheaply. If you’re in a high school science class, you’re learning how to make drones that are immediately shipped to the front lines. U.S. soldiers are being taught those same skills. In August, Volodymyr Zelensky offered to supply and co-produce drones with the U.S. If the deal is finalized, it would deliver 10 million unmanned systems annually over five years.
My friend’s son completed his nine-month call to active duty and started the adjustment to being back home.
It’s easy to pick up routine tasks, but not so easy to adjust to how much your children have grown and changed while you were gone. It also takes a while for the kids to realize that they can once again go to dad for help or to answer questions. He returned home two days before his son returned to college. They were glad that they had a few days together.
Veterans Day commemorates the end of World War I. And year after year, ever since, our nation pauses on November 11 to thank individuals who have served our country in the pursuit of peace. I hope that someday the people of Ukraine can celebrate the end of Russian aggression in their country and celebrate peace, too.
