Thanks to the initiative of former Congressman David Bonior (D-Michigan), a group of Ukrainian veteran leaders had an opportunity to visit some of America’s most renowned veteran support programs in the month of July.  The tour was executed in coordination with the Ukrainian Charitable Platform and the Ukrainian Catholic University Foundation (UCUF). The intensive tour included meetings with veterans’ groups, community leaders, medical experts and university veteransprograms, including Boston College, Harvard, Yale, Brown University and Southern Connecticut State University.

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Members of the Association of Ukrainian Veterans of America congratulate the heroes-veterans of Ukraine during a reception at the Ukrainian House on July 10

The tour began with visits to Capitol Hill and a two-hourlong televised forum on C-SPAN where Congressman Bonior was able to introduce all four veterans to a national audience.  The panel included Andrii Kaspshyshak, Director of the Office of Veterans and Families at the Ukrainian Catholic University; combat medic Hlib Bitiukov who runs UCU’s office in Kyiv, and Pavlo Zaremba and Yevhenii Klymenko of Odessa.  The veterans shared their battlefield experiences and discussed the lasting impacts of war.  The fact-finding tour centered on the challenges facing soldiers who served multiple tours of duty, and the need to address the invisible psychological wounds of war as veterans struggle to achieve physical and psychological recovery.

Introducing his guests to his C-SPAN audience, Mr. Bonior gave an impassioned tribute: “We want to express our deep sense of admiration for your courage, your tenacity in defending your homeland and your families, and defending all those around the globe who believe in democracy and freedom.”

During his distinguished  26-year career in the US Congress from 1977 to 2003, Mr. Bonior pioneered many national efforts to honor the US servicemen who served in Vietnam, and to improve economic and educational opportunities, and publicservices for those struggling to recover from the trauma of war. He expressed his fervent hope that the Ukrainian government would learn from the mistakes made by US policymakersfollowing the conflicts in Vietnam, Afghanistan and the Middle East.  “As a nation, we had an obligation not to forget our veterans,” said Bonior. Quoting Abraham Lincoln, Bonior stressed that nations have a duty “to care for those who haveborne the battle.”

“We learned after Vietnam,” said Bonior, “that organizing veteran communities is critical in the effort to secure scarce resources.  

Bonior stated: “Our other goal is to learn from Ukraine, and believe me, we have a lot to learn from Ukraine.”

In their public appearances, the Ukrainian veterans outlined many of the key initiatives by which Ukraine’s government and civil society have already begun to address the needs of veterans that have defended Ukraine against Russia’s aggression.

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At the Jackson School of Global Relations at Yale University, Dr. Dean Dommett welcomes veterans Andriy Kasprzyshak and Gleb Bityukov, along with UCU supporters Myron Melnyk and J. Tedrow Bonner.

Andrii Kaspshyshak compared Ukraine’s struggle to America’s war of independence: “We remember that 250 years ago, a small country in North America won a war against the biggest empire of that time.  American rebels were the Biblical David confronting Goliath.  Soon, you will be witnesses when the Russian Goliath falls.”

On July 10th, the veterans were hosted by former Ambassador Oksana Markarova at a gala reception in Ukraine House organized by the Ukrainian Catholic University Foundation.  They were warmly welcomed by the local post of the Ukrainian American Veterans Association.  Community leaders and philanthropists had a unique opportunity to speak with each of the veterans.

Many guests were impressed with 26-year-old Sergeant Pavlo Zaremba who joined Ukraine’s armed forces at age 21 and served in the 39th Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Marines.  Zaremba developed training programs for drone operators.  He was the cofounder of Ukraine’s Association of FPV Pilots.

After Washington, the tour continued with a visit to Congressman Bonior’s home state of Michigan where the Ukrainian delegation met with other veteran leaders.  

From July 15-24, Mr. Kaspshyshak and Mr. Bitiukov engaged in a whirlwind tour of southern New England.  Through the efforts of Brigadier General Leonid Kondratiuk of the Massachusetts National Guard, they had an extensive visit with the premier veterans’ support agency known as Home Base. Established by the Boston Red Sox, Home Base works directly with the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General-Brigham Hospital.  Chief Operating Officer Michael Allard, Dan Arkins and Dr. Joseph Bonvie provided in-depth briefings on the innovative programs by which Home Base works with veterans and their families to overcome trauma, prevent suicides and empower veterans to fully integrate into civilian life.  Experts from Home Base have already visited Ukraine, and are forging new partnerships with Ukrainian universities and medical institutions.  

The Home Base visit was of special interest to Hlib Bitiukov.  Before obtaining his Master’s Degree from UCU, he served as a combat medic on the front lines during the earliest phase of the war in Donbas.  Later he worked with Dr. Uliana Suprun, Ukraine’s former Minister of Health to upgrade Ukraine’s practices for emergency evacuations, and to improve survival rates and rehabilitation of Ukrainian soldiers.  After five tours of duty, including extensive battlefield experience during the siege of Bakhmut, Mr. Bitiukov himself sustained severe wounds that gave him a new perspective on the needs of his fellow veterans.  

During their Boston visit, the veterans had an opportunity to address students at the Harvard Summer School of Ukrainian Studies hosted by Dr. Emily Channell Justice.  They also visited Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church where they thanked Fr. Yaroslav Nalysnyk and his parishioners for their many years of generous support of UCU.  

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Gleb Bityukov and Andriy Kasprzyshak visited Britt Conroy, Director of the Veterans Support Department at the University of Southern Connecticut

Continuing their tour to Rhode Island, Bitiukov and Kaspshyshak visited the exemplary Rhode Island Veterans’ Home in Bristol. They also benefited from extensive discussions with US veterans of the Afghan and Iraqi wars, including combat surgeon Dr. Roman Hayda and Christopher Sheehan and infectious disease specialist Dr. Timothy Flanigan of Brown University. Through the efforts of community advocate Inna Walker, they also met with the Office of US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.

In Connecticut, they met with Adrian Bonenberger, the cofounder of the Yale Student Veterans Association, and with Dr. Dina Dommett, Director of Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs.  Through the efforts of Ukrainian American Veterans Myron Melnyk and Carl Harvey in New Haven, they also met with Britt Conroy, Director of Veteran Services at Southern Connecticut State University.

To learn more about Ukrainian Catholic University’s Office of Veterans and Families, and UCU’s pioneering medical clinic, readers are urged to visit the Foundation’s website, or to call (773)235-8462.  Donations may be sent to: UCU Foundation, 2247 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL. 60622