The Patriot Post® · The Other Forgotten War

The Korean War is called “the forgotten war.” Coming after World War II and before the Vietnam War, the Korean conflict seemed forgotten. After all, it was never called a war but a “police action.” Those I’ve met who fought in Korea see it differently. America was tired of war.

Now we have another seemingly forgotten war in Ukraine.

For several years, we heard a lot about Ukraine. News reports came daily revealing casualties and Russia’s brutality: cities being surrounded and destroyed and civilians being slaughtered by the thousands in places like Mariupol.

We saw Ukrainian forces fighting the Russians to a standstill just outside Kiev.

We saw infrastructure being destroyed and power plants knocked out — anything to make the winter unbearable for the Ukrainian people.

We heard reports of government corruption, with billions of dollars disappearing. America poured taxpayer dollars into Ukraine with little accountability. We seem to do that a lot — think Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Today, news of the war is hard to find. Recently on Fox News, I listened to a retired four-star general give the first update I’ve heard in months. Because I have Ukrainian friends who have family and friends there, I get bits and pieces. Civilians are still being targeted. Kiev is hit with missile and drone attacks nightly. Citizens spend the night in bomb shelters, then get up and go about their lives the next morning.

Why do we hear nothing, even in conservative news outlets? I’m sure the Iran conflict and daily footage of regime targets being destroyed all across the country knocked Ukraine off the front pages. But the suffering of the Ukrainians hasn’t stopped, and the Iranian “two-week ceasefire” (now ten weeks and counting) gives some space for a story. What’s the deal?

I ask because I have a personal interest. Right now, we have a dear friend who is in Ukraine for the third year in a row, taking part in a camp for the widows and orphans of slain Ukrainian soldiers. These women and their children spend a week in a quiet, secluded camp, away from the air-raid sirens and alerts on their phones. During the week, the widows are loved on, counseled, and pampered. Their kids are able be kids for a while; both moms and their children know they are not forgotten.

Our friend and her team can only minister to 30-40 women and their children at a time. When this war is over, tens of thousands of families are going to need help to overcome the trauma of war.

I caught just a glimpse of the magnitude of the problem last year when I was in Ukraine and had a chance to meet with chaplains to the Ukrainian military. Several of the chaplains had been soldiers in 2014 when Russia invaded the first time. Their stories were gripping! One nearly lost his leg to a mine. Another was captured, tortured, and then, by a miracle, was released after two other soldiers were executed in his presence.

I will be going back to Ukraine this September to meet with chaplains. We are going to train them to minister to soldiers with post-traumatic stress (PTS) from a Christian perspective. After that, I get to visit military hospitals to share with soldiers.

When this conflict ends, the needs will be overwhelming — and not just for the soldiers. The widows, orphans, and civilians who lost homes and loved ones will need it too. Ukraine will be a nation that needs overwhelming assistance.

I feel like the kid putting his finger in the dike to hold back the floodwaters. But our small group can train some, and then they can train some more. We can pray for God to multiply our efforts. I can do something, and that’s all the Lord asks of us!

“When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

Semper Fidelis