Share this page!

Nolan Peterson Profile picture
Twitter logo
Apr 27 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
At 1435 today, two American volunteers in Ukraine’s armed forces were wounded by artillery fire near Orikhiv. Manus McCaffrey & Paul Gray. Both are US Army veterans. 1/
The two worked together as a team targeting Russian tanks with Javelins. McCaffrey suffered shrapnel wounds to his face, head, and torso. A concrete wall fell on Gray, wounding his foot. Both men are in hospital. 2/
Gray told me: “We were ready for a tank to come down the road when the artillery hit us. A concrete wall protected me but then fell on me. Manus took the hardest blow and shrapnel.” 3/
“We were next together this entire deployment. Every minute,” Gray added about McCaffrey. “He’s such a great fighter.”

The Venmo for McCaffrey’s recovery fund is: helpingUkraine

/end

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Nolan Peterson

Nolan Peterson Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @nolanwpeterson

Nolan Peterson Profile picture
Apr 23
Tomorrow is the 2-month anniversary of the start of the full-scale war.

It feels like a lifetime ago.

Of all my experiences, what stand out most are the innumerable conversations I've had with Ukrainian soldiers & civilians who never wavered in their belief in victory.

1/
Since 2014, I have witnessed, firsthand, how Ukrainians’ pursuit of their democratic dreams laid the groundwork for their resistance to Russia’s full-scale invasion.

2/
Ukraine’s win in Kyiv simply confirmed what I already knew — no Russian bomb, bullet, or brutality can destroy Ukrainians’ unbending will to fight for their freedom.

3/
Read 4 tweets
Nolan Peterson Profile picture
Mar 13
From an American volunteer on the front lines outside of Kyiv:

"Sitting close to the frontline, the last safe mode of transportation leaves for greener pastures. A core group of about 30 foreign fighters remains out of around 200 people who were here just minutes ago..." 1/
"The base we came from was struck by rockets in the early morning hours. People we lived with for a couple days are confirmed dead. It is only a matter of time before our location is targeted. We are about to be cut off by a Russian tank column any day now..." 2/
"Food, water, and ammunition dwindle slowly. The mood is somber, people are sending their last messages to friends and family." 3/
Read 5 tweets
Nolan Peterson Profile picture
Feb 24
Something bad is in the air tonight. We're under a national emergency, airports are shutting down, military reserves have been called up. I lack the talent to express what it feels like to be in this European capital, home to millions...
and to feel a chill that has nothing to do with the cold as we brace for a distant madman's wrath. It's just unreal, and unbelievably tragic. I'm sitting here, waiting to hear the booms of the missiles and bombs.
I'm sitting here, waiting for the lights to go off and my links to the outside world to go dead. I'm sitting here, thinking about all my friends across this country, and on the front lines. I'm sitting here, wondering what a parent tells a child on a night like this.
Read 5 tweets
Nolan Peterson Profile picture
Feb 22
In 2014 I witnessed the awful aftermath of armored warfare on the outskirts of Mariupol. I wrote the following words in the hours immediately thereafter. I post them here now as a reminder of the reality of war, and the true nature of Russia's crimes. 1/
Charred bodies dotted the freshly stilled battlefields. These were men who did not die well. Not by the mercy of a gunshot to the head or the heart. /2
Some had their bodies ripped apart by the concussions of artillery blasts. Some were missing limbs. Some lay with their insides spilled in the earth around them. /3
Read 8 tweets
Nolan Peterson Profile picture
Feb 12
Email just now from US embassy in Kyiv:

“On February 12, 2022, the Department of State ordered the departure of most U.S. direct hire employees from Embassy Kyiv due to the continued threat of Russian military action.”
“As of Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, the Department of State will suspend consular services at the US Embassy in Kyiv. The Embassy will maintain a small consular presence in Lviv, Ukraine to handle emergencies, but will not be able to provide passport, visa or routine consular services.
“There are continued reports of a Russian military build-up on the border with Ukraine, indicating potential for significant military action against Ukraine.”
Read 4 tweets
Nolan Peterson Profile picture
Jan 14
Ukrainian troops have dealt w/the risk of a Russian false-flag provocation for years

On my recent front-line trip, one soldier told me:

‘They want to provoke us to shoot back with bigger weapons…& to say that we broke the cease-fire & not our enemies’

coffeeordie.com/ukraine-front-…
The constant dangers keep soldiers on edge. Yet, one of the most demanding aspects of the war, from the Ukrainians’ perspective, is their restricted ability to retaliate while under fire.
“It is hard. We respond when we feel a threat, but we try not to react on their provocative shootings,” says Mykhailo, a 24-year-old first lieutenant.
Read 5 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(