Photo By Staff Sgt. Alexander Skripnichuk | Paratroopers with the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade and soldiers with the...... read more read more
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YAVORIV, Ukraine – With the spring sun slowly rising to cast a warm light on the forest-covered hills of the Carpathian mountains, a line of eager military men and women climbed the zig-zag trail of mount Makivka.
With each step forward, they approached a moment in history that, in many ways, symbolized the struggle for freedom which Ukrainians face today. This moment in history held Ukraine stuck between two powers, battling for control of its soil and people. On one side, a force offered a level of freedom the Ukrainians never had before, while the other wanted to take back control of the land, which is considered its ancestral homeland.
Upon reaching the top of the mountain, the soldiers are presented with a picturesque view of the countryside and a structure towering over them, a monument honoring fallen soldiers from a battle that occurred more than 100 years prior.
Paratroopers from the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade and soldiers from the Ukrainian national guard's 3029th Regiment visited the World War I memorial honoring the Ukrainian Sich Sharpshooters May 16, 2015 in Slavske, Ukraine. The Ukrainian Sich Sharpshooters were Ukraine's first Army unit and, after WWI, became a crucial element in Ukraine's first, although temporary, government.
For the guardsmen, it was an opportunity to pay their respects to their country's fallen heroes and to show their military partners, the paratroopers, a little of Ukraine's history. For the paratroopers, it was a glimpse into a battle that took place long before and a chance to study the tactics used by both Russian and Ukrainian soldiers.
“100 years ago we stopped the Russian empire,” said 2nd Lt. Alxander Krotenko, an officer with the Ukrainian national guard's 3029th Regiment. “It was important for us to show paratroopers that our struggle is not new.”
Paratroopers from the 173rd Abn. Bde. are in Ukraine for the first of several planned rotations to train Ukraine's newly-formed national guard as part of Fearless Guardian, which is scheduled to last 6 months.
For the visit, the soldiers invited Professor Ivan Fedyk, a specialist, from the Ivano-Frankov University, in the history of the USS. During the trip, the professor explained how the USS represented a large step in Ukraine's fight for independence against Russia.
“Ukraine is the birthplace of the Russian people,” said Fedyk. “For as long as people can remember, Russia has always wanted to reunite the slavic lands.”
Prior to WW1, Ukraine was a split land, owned by the Austro-Hungarian empire on the west and the Russian empire to the east. The Austro-Hungarian empire gave the Ukrainian people a level of autonomy they never had before, even going so far as to allow the people to have Ukrainian-speaking schools and even positions in politics, said Fedyk.
“Russia dismissed the idea of the Ukrainian language a long time before WWI,” said Fedyk. “They considered Ukraine to be their territory.”
As the soldiers visited the monument they encountered an unexpected surprise: more than 200 children from the Pustomytivskogo School District had also come to visit. The children, ages 8 to 15, were on a historical field-trip to Mount Makivka.
“We bring the children here to show them the struggle Ukraine has faced against Russia,” said Yura Katchuk, a school teacher involved with the field-trip. “We show the children that the events they see today are not new, but a continuation of a struggle over 100 years-old.”
When the children realized that the paratroopers were here with Ukrainian national guard troops, they insisted on a group photograph and thanked the paratroopers for helping Ukraine build its military. They also gave thanks to the Ukrainian national guard soldiers for defending their country.
According to Fedyk, many Ukrainians do not realize that the hybrid war with Russia today is almost the same as in WWI, Ukrainians forced to fight other Ukrainians. During WWI, the Russian empire had almost 3.5 million Ukrainian conscripts.
At the end of the trip, both U.S. and Ukrainian partners walked down the mountain together, reminded that history should not be forgotten for the lessons it provides us today.
| Date Taken: | 05.16.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2015 05:23 |
| Story ID: | 165165 |
| Location: | YAVORIV, UA |
| Web Views: | 282 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Ukraine shares its history with Sky Soldiers, by SSG Alexander Skripnichuk, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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