A Snohomish County man, who spent 5 months fighting with the Ukrainian military, is now working to provide more support for their effort.
U.S. Army Iraq veteran, Carl Larson, spent more than 5 months in Ukraine, 4 of them in the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine, which is a group of foreign volunteers, many of them sent to the front lines. Larson tells Northwest Newsradio he saw examples of the worst of that war, yet he wishes he could have stayed longer. “I’m proud of my time there,” Larson says, “I think about going back every day, but my wife has hidden my passport. Hopefully, she hasn’t burned it.”
Larson says he felt it was his moral imperative to go, especially since many Americans don’t think the war affects them beyond higher gas prices. He compares the Ukraine-Russia war to the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia that started in 1938 and asks if people would rather be like former British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, or his successor, Winston Churchill. Larson says, “You can see from history what happens when Americans disengage and don’t care what happens in Europe – not good things. Better to be involved early.” Larson says that was his real motive: to help prevent a war that could find its way to our shores because of a man he describes as a despot trying to expand his territory.
Larson says they got some high-quality uniforms and equipment, but they had a hard time getting simple things, like cold weather gloves or headlamps. So he’s helping to lead an effort here that sends supplies that make it right to soldiers on the front lines.
You can see Carl Larson’s complete interview with Northwest Newsradio’s Ryan Harris in the video below, and if you want to help, you can go to Veteransfightingforukraine.org.