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4 WWW.UNWLA.ORG “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ВЕРЕСЕНЬ 2015 Andrij Ivanov, Colonel in the Don- bas Battalion. Maksym Shabiuk FIRST TO RESPOND IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS by Ivanka Olesnycky UNWLA Social Welfare Committee On July 9, 2015, the U.S. Department of Defense gave final approval to provide treatment for 14 wounded Ukrainian soldiers in U.S. mili- tary hospitals, including the San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC) in San Antonio, Texas. Two soldiers, Maksym Shabiuk and Andrij Iva- nov, were transported to SAMMC with an escort arriving on July 24, 2015. Andrij Ivanov is a colonel in the Donbas Bat- talion. He is in his mid- fifties. Andrij lost his left arm below his elbow and also has shrapnel in his legs. Andrij is mobile, but walking is painful for him. He is being fitted with a prosthetic arm and will have surgery on his legs. Maksym Shabiuk comes from Odessa. He is in his mid-twenties. His injuries are to the left side of his jaw and also to his elbow. His treatment will consist of bone reconstruction and plastic surgery. Iryna Khomik is a volunteer from Kyiv. She is in her mid- twenties. Iryna arrived with the soldiers on a mili- tary airplane. She serves as a translator and hospital, doctor, and activity coor- dinator. In mid-July, the Office of Defense Cooperation at the U.S. Embas- sy in Kyiv forwarded a request to the Ukrainian National Women's League of America, asking for diaspora community support for the wounded soldiers traveling to the US for treatment. The embassy officials were hoping for a warm wel- come for these deserving soldiers when they ar- rived in the United States, along with other need- ed services like translating, visits to the soldiers at the hospital, and transporting them to and from doctor appointments when the hospital stays were completed. Since the UNWLA, with its 2,000 members, has a strong and reliable network Oksana and Constan- tine Klufas throughout the US, the UNWLA Social Welfare Committee contacted Oksana Klufas, member of UNWLA Branch 56 and a longtime resident of San Antonio, to ask whether she would meet the soldiers to welcome them to the United States and to help them get comfortable in their temporary living quarters. Without a moment’s hesitation, Oksana and her husband Constantine said yes— they would do it! On July 25, 2015, Mr. and Mrs. Klufas drove to Fort Sam Houston, the U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas, where they were the first di- aspora Ukrainians to meet Andrij, Maksym, and their escort, Iryna. The Klufases found the group in the Warrior Transition Center building where each had a small simple bedroom and access to a shared kitchenette. After exchanging greetings and contact in- formation, Mr. and Mrs. Klufas took the group out to a Mexican restaurant for lunch where they enjoyed margaritas and tamales. During lunch Mr. and Mrs. Klufas learned that Maksym, Andrij, and Iryna needed personal items like flip flops, towels, clothes hangers, as well as basic foods, such as coffee, tea, and sugar. The kitchenettes adjoining their rooms in the Warrior Transition Center were lacking in food preparation tools and utensils. There were no pots, pans, plates, coffee makers, or tea kettles. In response, Mr. and Mrs. Klufas took Andrij, Maksym, and Iryna to their home and gave them many of the needed house- hold items. From there the couple took the group to Walmart where they bought them the remain- ing personal items that they still needed. Mr. and Mrs. Klufas drove them back to the base and helped them to get settled with all of their new things. Before they left them for the night, they gave each of them a monetary gift, since the sol- diers had arrived without any spending money. Since that memorable first day when Oksana and Constantine Klufas responded whole- heartedly and compassionately to the needs of Maksym and Andrij, there have been other pleas-
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