DALLAS — Michael of North Texas saw the images of war out of Ukraine and knew he had to do something.
He requested that WFAA not share his last name for the safety and security of his family. He decided to leave his wife and children and North Texas for Ukraine to help with the humanitarian effort.
"I prayed on the subject. I prayed and once God and I made a decision all the fear and all the anxiety disappeared," he said.
Michael flew through Poland and rode a bus into Ukraine. He said before the war he had no connection to the people or the country.
But, he has taken on many mission projects since retiring from the Army Rangers after 21 years, he told WFAA. He spent many years overseas in many different regions.
"This is my whole goal: to help the people who are helping the people," he told WFAA.
When he first arrived, the training started at the hospitals. He spent time with doctors and nurses who were treating patients.
He tells WFAA he had helped with large triage and mass casualty events before. But what started as mostly humanitarian help quickly transitioned to combat readiness training.
He would spend his first 30 days in places like Lviv and Mykolaiv with the Ukraine's 3rd Marine Battalion.
"They don't need to hear my voice, they need to hear their leadership," he told WFAA.
He said that of the 120 people in the battalion, only a small fraction had a real military training.
Michael says he aided with hands-on training on tactics with some men who've never before picked up a gun. There were eight other foreign officers, two of them Americans, who were also part of the battalion.
Michael was there 30 days and has since returned to North Texas. He has plans to go back shortly for 90 more days to continue to imbed with Ukraine's 3rd Marine Battalion.
Michael says he's paying his own way but is asking for the public's help to fund humanitarian aid and supplies that can travel with him to Ukraine.
"They deserve our respect and they deserve our help," Michael said.
A video and fundraising site has been created to help Michael with his humanitarian efforts.