State of Affairs

We’ve lived through one full year of war in Ukraine.

For me, this is an interesting milestone. I was young, very young, when the Afghan War began. Yet, it left a profound mark on my upbringing. I had brave cousins who proudly took up arms and went to defend this country after the September 11 attacks, cousins who paid with their mental state and physical health as a result. War was always a discussion, even inadvertently, as we prayed and hoped for a resolution to the conflict. I remember, in the early days of the war, watching the world news and seeing missiles fly off US warships, striking the ground and causing massive explosions. That image is burned into my mind.

I cannot imagine what is it like for the children living in Ukraine today.

Say what you will about Twitter, but it is a beautiful window to the rest of the world – sometimes that window is incredibly clear. I’ve seen images of children – young girls – who have had their legs blasted off by missile strikes. I saw a picture of a girl who was severely burned on her left side, she couldn’t have been older than nine years and yet she has been forever scarred by the horrors of war.

I hear people say that Ukraine should just give up. Stop the conflict and surrender. To those people I say “You are not paying attention”. This is a war of aggression from the Russians – from Vladimir Putin who seeks to reinstate the Soviet Union.

See, if the Russians stop fighting, the war will end. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine will end.

In the early days of the war, after capturing several villages and towns on the eastern side of Ukraine, Russian soldiers raped, pillaged, and murdered the Ukrainians who did nothing to deserve the hate and horror that came to them. Ukrainians were just trying to live their lives, go to work, go to school, grab a coffee, watch television and enjoy their lives. This peace they had was disrupted overnight when many of them were sleeping. Russia isn’t just fighting a war in Ukraine, they are actively trying to erase Ukrainian culture. They kidnap children from Ukraine, force them into orphanages in Russia where they are not allowed to speak their native language and are forced to speak Russian.

Russia bombs apartment buildings. That isn’t war. That is terrorism. There are no weapons in apartment buildings, just mothers and fathers praying that their children will be safe. And yet, for so many Ukrainians, those prayers aren’t answered because Russia continues to bomb, shoot, rape and pillage their way across the land.

This war of aggression has come at great cost to the Russians. Yet, the people of Russia want to continue what they call “A Special Military Operation”, but in reality, its just a war. A savage war that has been responsible for the death and maiming of countless children.

As Americans, we live comfortable lives because of the sacrifices of our heroes, like my cousins who went to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. Ukrainians are fighting for their survival, and as Americans, if we want to continue living our comfortable lives, we need to support the success of Ukraine.

Russians use the symbol “Z” to display their war efforts. Ukrainians in occupied areas have begun to turn that “Z” into a blue and yellow hourglass. Blue and yellow are Ukraine’s national colors, and the hourglass is to signify that liberation of their communities is coming.

This war will end. It must end with Ukraine victorious, or we will all suffer the consequences of a world where authoritarianism and bullying is made normal. Because Russia will not stop with Ukraine. Russia will keep fighting. Putin wants to restore the Soviet Union. He is former KGB. He wants to see the Western world destroyed and bring back the days of dictators. Those were dark days, and I refuse to live in a world like that.

I support Ukraine. As Americans, we must all support Ukraine, because if they lose this war we will suffer the consequences.