Number 8 Giulia Schiff In the late 2010s, Italian air force pilot
Giulia Schiff made headlines in her country after complaining about a “baptism of flight”
hazing ritual.
In the video-recorded incident, which traditionally marked the end of the training course, the
Venice-born cadet was forcefully grabbed and lifted by her colleagues.
They then hit her on the backside with wooden sticks and slammed her unprotected head against
a plane wing, before dumping her in a pool.
She complained about the hazing and was subsequently expelled from the air force academy for what
her superiors deemed “insufficient military aptitude”.
Schiff took her wrongful dismissal case to Italy’s highest administrative court, but
lost.
When Russian armed forces crossed Ukraine’s borders, triggering what many deemed the most
serious conflict Europe had seen since World War II, Schiff discretely left Italy.
She’d later recall seeing a video of a random tank passing over a civilian car as strengthening
her resolve of going to Ukraine.
Schiff joined the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine and fought
alongside national troops, recording her experience as a mini-documentary for the Italian TV show
Le Iene.
The 23-year-old returned to Rome for a demonstration, in the fall of 2022, and spoke about her service,
which included reconnaissance “beyond the front line”.
Schiff reported to have found a “family” in her team in Ukraine, something that she
hadn’t found in the Air Force.
She also urged her home country for greater solidarity with the Ukrainian people, noting
that she hadn’t seen an Italian weapon during her seven months as a volunteer soldier.
Schiff said that she couldn’t talk about her having killed anyone but stated that she’d
witnessed and had been changed by the “horrors of war”.
Number 7 Adam Ennis Scottish man Adam Ennis, a 35-year-old mechanic
and the owner of a garage business in Biggar, ignored official warnings and left his country
in March of 2022 for the war zone in Ukraine.
He felt duty-bound to help as he’d visited the country in the past and made friends there.
He only possessed basic rifle skills he’d acquired in the combined cadet force at Merchiston
Castle School, in Edinburgh.
Ennis was quickly selected to defend Kyiv from advancing Russian troops, eventually
being stationed outside of the city in Irpin.
He later spoke to the media about a number of “close calls” as he and his unit took
direct fire from tanks and artillery.
Ennis spoke about the atrocities and devastation of war, saying “I remember lying face down
and shots hitting the ground all around me."
He survived and returned to South Lanarkshire in June to rest and raise money to buy an
armored truck that could be used to move casualties from the front line.
Ennis returned to action in July, and his father, Brian, joined him on the drive to
the Polish border, which saw them cross through five countries.
Brian later told the BBC that they were met with “great acts of kindness” on the way,
with people paying for their gas or helping with work on the truck.
He also expressed being proud of and worried for his son.
Due to where he was on the front, Ennis’ parents subsequently had limited communication
with him until August, when they discovered he was being hailed as a hero in Ukraine.
Ennis was one of 10 soldiers featured in the photographic exhibition "Warriors of the World
- Warriors of Light" alongside the documentary "International Legion" at the Bouquet Kyiv
Stage Festival.
He was still alive and fighting, as of the latest updates.
Number 6 Conor Kennedy In the fall of 2022, it emerged that Conor
Kennedy, grandson of former US President John F. Kennedy, had secretly joined the fight
in Ukraine.
As later reported by his father, Robert Kennedy Jr., the 28-year-old had “talked his way”
into taking part in the war effort despite having no combat experience.
At the time of volunteering, Kennedy was working for a reputable law firm in Los Angeles.
His father had no idea that he’d volunteered and the only indication of his whereabouts
came from his credit card bills, which showed his movements through Poland and then Ukraine.
Kennedy intended to join the International Legion anonymously as he’d only told one
person in the US where he was and only one of his fellow soldiers knew his real name.
Kennedy was reported to have returned to the US in October of 2022.
As news of his involvement broke, he talked about his experience in an Instagram post
that featured the photo of a fellow soldier posing with his back to the camera, whom he
identified as his friend Nick.
Kennedy wrote that he liked being a soldier more than he’d expected, adding that he
“saw a lot and felt a lot”.
He revealed that he’d been “willing to die” in the Ukraine.
In spite of having no military training, he “learned fast” and was eventually sent
to the northeastern front.
As his father later stated in an interview, Kennedy was involved in combat with Russian
forces that primarily took the form of nighttime artillery firefights.
Photos showed him in body armor, with the circular patch on his chest indicating he’d
been part of Ukraine's International Legion.
Kennedy’s Instagram post was met with a plethora of messages expressing praise and
support.
Number 5 Ken Rhee Ken Rhee, a retired South Korean Navy SEAL
turned YouTuber, risked prison time and a substantial fine to take part in the Russo-Ukrainian
war.
Rhee later stated that it would’ve been “a crime not to help” given his experience
and skillset.
Due to escalating tensions in the region, Rhee’s government had made travel to Ukraine
illegal since February the 13th.
Rhee announced on March the 6th that he and two other former Seals had “informally”
left South Korea for Ukraine.
By May the 16th, Rhee had been promoted to a leadership position in the armed forces
opposing the advancement of Russian troops, due to his special operations background.
At some point during his time in the war-torn country, Rhee fell into a sinkhole, tearing
ligaments in both knees.
He tried to ignore the injury throughout a five-day mission, but his condition worsened
significantly, leaving him unable to carry on with his duties.
He later reported in an interview that a doctor in a Ukrainian military hospital told him
he needed surgery and suggested he return to South Korea.
Rhee’s companions had returned much earlier and he eventually flew back as well on May
the 27th.
Over a dozen police officers escorted him to baggage claim but he wasn’t immediately
arrested and instead placed in quarantine for 7 days, as his COVID-19 vaccination had
expired.
For violating the travel ban, he faced up to a year in prison and a fine of nearly $8,000.
Reactions from the South Korean public were mixed as some praised Rhee’s bravery while
others were critical of him breaking the law.
Number 4 Thalita do Valle and Douglas Burigo Following a career as a model and actress,
Brazilian woman Thalita do Valle turned her attention to humanitarian missions abroad,
before eventually focusing on combat.
Do Valle trained as a sniper with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, in Iraq, and fought against
extremists aiming to take over the country.
The 39-year-old arrived in Ukraine in early June of 2022 and messaged virtually every
day from the front.
Do Valle revealed that she worked as a rescuer and sharpshooter, providing support to Ukrainian
troops.
She survived a bombing in the capital of Kyiv, after which she told family that her mobile
phone activities were being monitored by Russian drones and that she could only briefly call
them with updates.
Do Valle was part of the same unit as former Brazilian soldier Douglas Burigo and they
moved to the city of Kharkiv in late June.
Within days, as Russian forces carried out an airstrike on the city, do Valle became
separated from her unit.
She got trapped in a burning bunker and succumbed to smoke inhalation. 40-year-old Burigo went
to find her and was killed in a subsequent missile strike.
He’d left Brazil on May the 24th, to join the war effort, in spite of his family’s
protests.
He was reportedly survived by a teenage daughter.
Number 3 Sandra Andersen Eira Norwegian woman Sandra Andersen Eira was enjoying
a comfortable existence in her home country at the breakout of the war in Ukraine.
She’d served a term as a representative in the Sámi Parliament, worked as a fisher
and operated her own business.
Most of those who knew Eira only found from the media that she’d gone to Ukraine, in
early March, as a war volunteer.
In an interview she gave in May, the woman, then in her mid-30s, described the decision
as “the right thing to do” and a “moral obligation to help”, indicating that many
countries had stepped up to aid Norway when it was under German occupation during World
War II.
Eira joined a ranger squad as a combat medic and her unit was the first to be deployed
by the International Legion.
She helped liberate the northern area of Kyiv and then moved to Bucha and Irpin before heading
to the country’s southern front.
She was the only woman in her squad and extensively praised the respect shown to her by colleagues
and Ukrainian troops.
Speaking on the latter, Eira claimed that, even as she was under bomb fire for days,
they treated her “like a queen”.
During the May interview, Eira expressed hopes for a timely resolution but also being aware
that politics would likely complicate the outcome.
She also noted that developments at the political level were also a source of frustration, demotivation
and weariness, particularly for soldiers dealing with the conflict’s devastating realities.
As for her future plans, Eira stated an intention of travelling back to Norway for a few weeks
to rest, resupply, and then return to the front.
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Number 2 Shareef Amin Former British soldier Shareef Amin had spent
nine years with the 1st Battalion “The Rifles”, with his service including two tours in Afghanistan,
before he headed to Ukraine almost as soon as the war had started, in February of 2022.
Amin initially provided humanitarian support and used his experience to train Ukrainian
soldiers.
Then, as the fighting ramped up, he became a soldier as well and was nicknamed “Rambo”
by others in his unit.
40-year-old Amin was part of a team on a recognizance mission deep behind enemy lines, when they
started taking heavy gunfire from Russian forces, in October.
Amin and a Ukrainian soldier, whom he identified through his nickname as “The Professor”,
sheltered in a shallow trench as they were repeatedly struck by artillery rounds.
Amin heard an “almighty thud” and felt he’d been “dragged underground” before
the limp body of his brother-in-arms landed on top of him.
Amin yelled that he was still alive.
As they were continuously taking fire, another member of his unit heroically intervened and
pulled The Professor’s lifeless body off of him, allowing Amin to crawl out of the
trench.
The British veteran saw his right hand hanging off at the wrist and a massive piece of shrapnel
in his right leg.
Shrapnel had also pierced in his other limbs.
Amin asked his commander to move him because he was lying on jagged rocks and experiencing
severe pain.
Amin was told that his body wasn’t on rocks but that shrapnel had cut through his body
armor, striking his back and chest.
He’d later find out that both his lungs had been punctured.
Kozak Warrior armored personnel vehicles drove him 20 minutes to an ambulance and he was
rushed to a military hospital.
Amin would later remember hearing doctors whispering that he wasn’t going to make
it, but he ultimately defied expectations and started walking again within weeks of
the attack.
Updates from November of 2022 indicated that Amin’s friends had started a fundraiser
so that he and his Ukrainian fiancée, 33-year-old Helen Vitvickaja, could return to the UK.
Amin was awarded a medal for bravery by the Ukrainian military in the incident’s aftermath.
Speaking of what had motivated him to join the war effort, he told a media outlet: “If
I sat at home on my laurels, despite having skills that can help, what kind of human being
am I?”
Number 1 Trevor Kjeldal Australian man Trevor Kjeldal had no combat
experience prior to joining the war in Ukraine but, in a few months, he became a highly efficient
soldier in his unit.
He answered the call for volunteers almost as soon as it was put out by Ukrainian leadership,
citing the “bravery and resilience” of the Eastern European country’s people as
inspiration.
The Brisbane native was initially rejected by the International Legion due to his lack
of training.
Others in a similar position returned home but he remained steadfast in his decision
to join the cause.
Kjeldal received about a month’s training in the capital of Kyiv before he was sent
to the frontline, where he eventually became known among his comrades as “Ninja”.
Taiwanese volunteer Tony Lu fought alongside him for three months in the city of Izium,
along with other foreigners.
Lu eventually returned to Taipei and told the media that Kjledal had saved his life
on at least one occasion when, under barrage from tanks and artillery, he got him into
a trench.
They’d bonded because Lu had lived in Australia and Kjeldal spoke Mandarin. 29-year-old fellow
volunteer James Durose, a welder from Middlesbrough, England, described Kjeldal as “one of the
best” soldiers he’d come across.
Durose reported that Kjeldal was a “fairly unique guy” who would often speak about
his wife and children, who lived in China.
In July, Kjeldal was nearly killed in a Russian ambush that left him with shrapnel wounds
to the head.
The 40-year-old, nevertheless, returned to the front line, determined to remain in Ukraine
until the war was over and hoping he’d “beat the odds” again.
Months later, in September, his unit was hit by a Russian mortar attack in the Donbas region.
Unfortunately, Kjeldal didn’t survive, with his death subsequently confirmed by Australia’s
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The department offered their condolences to his grieving family and launched efforts to
bring his body home.
Thanks for watching!
Would you return and fight for your country in case of war if you were living comfortably
abroad?
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