It’s one thing when worldly-wise war-addicted vets who know what they are getting into choose to go fight in Other People’s Wars as mercenaries. They know what they are getting into. It’s another when idealistic young men like this do.
Guys, when you go fight in Other People’s Wars as a volunteer or mercenary, you don’t have the backing and backup you had when you fought in our armed forces. Don’t do it.
Even if you bring your own kit, you may not get to keep it and if you do, might get robbed of it, even killed for it. If you don’t bring your own, you won’t be issued the best they have. Nope, you get the dregs. You may well be abandoned to die in some pocket surrounded by the enemy with no one coming to your aid and comms that either don’t work or nobody bothers to answer. No heroic American medics swooping in to rescue you if you get wounded, no American MASH, no flight to Ramstein if you got hit bad. Mama might never get your body back, and if she does, it will likely be rotted away by then. And, no the Other People you fought for won’t help Mama with funeral expenses. Just don’t do it.
Same to idealistic young people who want to go “help” as civilians as part of some dodgy make-up-your-own NGO. If you can’t get hired by a proper established large NGO (and you likely can’t — they have high standards and only send those experienced in the field into such places), you may well end up in big bad trouble or dead. No one there to help you or even scrape up your body. Don’t do it.
Very sad for his family. How heartbreaking.
This guy was part of a legion of foreign volunteers (similar to the infamous Lincoln Brigade) who might very well have their own logistics and support cadre.
Thank you. So very, very true..