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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ВЕРЕСЕНЬ 2015 WWW.UNWLA.ORG 5 ant get-togethers for the soldiers arranged by Mr. and Mrs. Klufas. There have been meals at the Klufas home with swims in their pool, as well as outings to points of interest in the area—Bandera and Medina, TX, with a stop at a ranch and a visit to the famous Floore Country Store. A group called “Ukrainians San Antonio” has also visited Andrij and Maksym and has taken them to a beach in Corpus Christi. Oksana and Constantine Klufas have giv- en Maksym and Andrij the greatest gift—they have treated them like treasured members of their family. Oksana Klufas has demonstrated that she is personally aligned with the mission of the or- ganization of which she is a member—the UN- WLA, a charitable and cultural organization which has been in existence since 1925. Staying true to a deeply ingrained principle of the UN- WLA, Oksana and Constantine are providing as- sistance to Ukrainians “stricken by natural disas- ters and emergencies.” Oksana is truly a Soyu- zianka , in the best sense of the name! On August 16th, a third wounded soldier, Mikhail Frek, will arrive in San Antonio with an escort. Mr. and Mrs. Klufas will be there to wel- come him as well! About a Woman Volunteer in the Right Sector Recently I came across a moving article by Olena Bilozerska, a Ukrainian journalist who has produced a documentary film about women and girls enrolled as volunteers in the corps of the Right Sector. Ole- na herself is a member of the Right Sector’s volunteer corps that fights against the Russian invaders. The article to which I am referring is about her friend Nastia Horbachova. It is actually a farewell to Nastia. I communicated with Pani Olena and she graciously gave me permition to translate her article. —Ulana Zinych “Our friend “Lisa” (pseudonym) has died. An extremely daring scout who walked on enemy mine fields all fall and winter. She was a simple and good soul. Disregarding her heart problem, tall and slim Lisa excelled in endurance. With a backpack load of 25-30 kg, she calmly walked tens of kilome- ters. She knew how to trek, and she was an abso- lutely priceless and most important scout on the front. She was also an athlete, and specifically took part in biathlons, thanks to which she was able to shoot quickly and accurately. Nonetheless she nev- er became a sniper because of her temperament— instead she became a sharpshooter-paramedic. On the back of her helmet she wore a fox's tail. One time this tail actually saved a few lives. Our scouting group went out into the “working ter- rain,” and it was decided that we would be brought back by soldiers in a “bеkhа” (a term for a BMW). Alongside the soldiers was Lisa and another Right Sector member. The driver made an error and ended up in a location other than the one which was agreed upon. Understandably, the scouts mistook our soldiers for separatists and the group leader was ready to annihilate them with a grenade launcher. It was in the last moment that he saw a red fox's tail on the helmet of one of the BMW occupants. Lisa experienced two concussions during her life. The first occurred last autumn when she was covered with rockets near Vodianyj, and the second one last winter when we were attacked at the Donetsk Airport. That time I was thrown by the blast and tore several ligaments and Nastia (Lisa) sustained broken ribs and another concussion. Nastia had a difficult life. Her father died early in her childhood, and her mother, who had many children, lived in poverty and was forced to place the children in a boarding school. She took them home on weekends. As an adult, Nastia worked as a paramedic, later as a salesperson, and in the last few years she additionally took care of her seriously ill mother. Shortly before the war her mother died and Nastia was grief-stricken. She used to say that if it were not for that, she may not have gone to fight. On the front lines Nastia found her love, formed a family and was expecting her first child. In her early months of pregnancy she was still scouting in enemy-controlled territory. She was fearless, not even caring for her own life. Frequent- ly she said that she would die young and this did not sadden her. Nevertheless she believed that she would outlive the war, frequently dreaming how, after the war, we would all meet in a house in the Carpathian Mountains where she had been allowed to rest during lengthy mountain hikes. If I am not mistaken, her trainer was the one who allowed her to rest there. But, as it happens, we will not meet. Rest in peace, sister.” There are many women heroes in Ukraine. Nastia is only one of them.
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