Two friends from Southwest Florida heading to Ukraine to help those fighting

Reporter: Emma Heaton Writer: Drew Hill
Published: Updated:
GORSKI AND HAMBLING
GORSKI AND HAMBLING

Two best friends are leaving Southwest Florida and making their way to Ukraine with equipment and supplies.

Shea Hambling and Alexander Gorski spent most of Monday preparing and hugging their loved ones goodbye. Their process of getting to Ukraine began with an email that, as they sum it up in four words, said: “We want to help.”

Another battle in Ukraine is what the two friends couldn’t bear to watch any longer from the comfort of their Florida homes. “I saw this picture of a little girl was killed over there. And just found I just started thinking, like, ‘I need to do something, what can I do?'” said Hambling.

“It was really sad to see and it put us in a position to help,” said Gorski.

So, Hambling and Gorski emailed the founder of a nonprofit called World of Connections. And that group was able to put them in touch with an international brigade put together by Ukraine.

“They do have a foreign legion there. I’m not into it so much from the scope of helping the government as I am helping the people,” Gorski said.

The Military Times says 3,000 Americans have signed up to fight. Gorski and Hambling will join men from Britain and other places around the world.

Voldomymyr Onysko is one of the volunteers. “We know what we are doing and that’s why we will win,” said Onysko.

The Ukrainian government has made it very clear that it only wants volunteers that are ready to head straight for the front line. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the President of Ukriane. “This is terror. They are going to bomb our Ukrainian cities even more. They are going to kill our children even more subtly. This is the evil that has come to our land and must be destroyed,” he said.

Gorski and Hambling say they knew the task was dangerous when they took it. “I’m prepared. I was in… I was in the Army from 2001 to 2007. Served in Iraq,” Hambling said.

Gorski did not serve in uniform but said he does have military training. They expect once they arrive, to be transporting injured people to safer areas and into hospitals.

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