“I am a regional upkeep supervisor, so I help a variety of properties in San Francisco and Oakland.”
Kevin Haze’s employer would not let him take a depart of absence, so the 49-year-old burned a month of trip to serve with the Ukrainian navy.
Dan Noyes: “Inform me about that call to go to Ukraine. Why did you do it?”
Kevin Haze: “I imply, the best way I noticed it was, , the one factor you are able to do towards the bully is to punch him within the mouth.”
Haze is a retired US Army Ranger from Pleasanton, and when Russia invaded Ukraine, he anticipated a straightforward victory for the superpower, but it surely’s been gradual and painful.
VIDEO: Retired US Special Forces sergeant from Bay Space headed to Ukraine on medical mission
Kevin Haze: “It simply harm me man to maintain watching it. And no person was doing something about it… We should always have had boots on the bottom earlier than any Russian troops went over the Ukrainian border.”
Dan Noyes: “You suppose that might have stopped Russia from coming in?”
Kevin Haze: “Completely.”
Haze flew to Poland all by himself a month in the past, bought a rental automobile, and tried to stroll throughout the border into Ukraine throughout a snowstorm; a guard stopped him.
“And I mentioned, ‘Man, I’ll Ukraine.’ And he mentioned, ‘It’s important to journey throughout the border. And in a car, you’ll be able to’t stroll.’ So I simply went to the stoplight proper throughout the road. And I simply began knocking on folks’s automobile doorways.”
A driver supplied to take him to satisfy the Ukrainian navy, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than Haze was on this prepare headed for Kyiv. They gave him a Ukrainian navy ID, physique armor, a rifle, and a uniform; he added an American flag, and met many foreigners preventing for Ukraine.
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“Britain, Eire, Portugal, could even a man got here from Australia,” Haze instructed the I-Staff. “I imply, in all places, man, Germany, Poland. It is simply a tremendous factor, how the world can actually can actually come collectively every time it must, .”
He labored with a largely Spanish-speaking unit from Peru and Colombia, and he supplied video to the I-Staff of them honing their hand indicators. Haze did not wish to go into specifics of what he did in Ukraine.
Dan Noyes: “So, have been you truly within the subject in fight? Or have been you doing coaching?”
Kevin Haze: “Oh, we’re doing we’re doing just a little little bit of each.”
Dan Noyes: “I imply, did you hearth your rifle?”
Kevin Haze: “I do not wish to speak about something like that.”
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From his resort room in Poland, Haze did say he helped provide weapons and ammunition to Ukrainian forces. Now, he has to go dwelling to his spouse and youngsters, whereas his unit goes to struggle on the entrance traces.
Kevin Haze: “My complete unit is principally going to be within the entrance subsequent week.”
Dan Noyes: “And you would like you had stayed for that?”
Kevin Haze: “Completely, man. Completely. I imply they’re brothers for all times, man. That is for certain.”
Haze is about to land at San Francisco Worldwide on Monday.
TAKE ACTION: Native and nationwide help for folks in Ukraine
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