I am an American volunteer that was in Ukraine for 635 days, helping the Ukrainian people and fighting the Russian invaders. I love helping people, it's a passion of mine. I like to help people that aren't able to help themselves. I believe in an idea that children should not live in fear of being bombed, raped, and kidnapped for a war they did not ask for. I understand that there needs to be a huge influx of help from the democracies of the West, in order to provide the proper gear, training, and financial support. What many Americans may not understand is the sheer number of Americans that are serving as volunteers, and that through the help of NGO's and individual donors, we are having to outfit our own teams. What we need to serve the interests of the U.S. properly and protect the world we all grew up in, right now, is for more Americans to reach out to their elected officials and push for aid packages that will ensure teams like mine are outfitted properly enough to be efficient on the frontlines.