Nance fronts for the International Legion of the Territorial Defense of Ukraine, which he describes as "a branch of the Ukrainian army."
According to Nance, the International Legion is "an organized combat element with contracts signed by the Ukrainian army. We are paid by the Ukrainian army and get a Geneva convention ID card."
And the mission of the International Brigade? Simply put, per Nance, if a Ukrainian unit is "on the line and they need more reinforcement, they will get a legion unit to give them more manpower."
Dennis Diaz
Dennis Diaz enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 2000. He was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, before being honorably discharged in 2004.
In early March, Diaz, an entrepreneur and former 2020 candidate for U.S. president from Waterbury, Connecticut, now 39 and the father of four, volunteered to serve in the International Legion.
"I'm ready to roll," he told local media before leaving the U.S. "Whatever I have to bring, I'm going to pack it up and we're going to take care of business."
Dennis A. Diaz (@RealDennisDiaz) April 4, 2022
His age and obvious lack of physical conditioning did not seem to be an obstacle for the one-time combat Marine. "War," he told the press, "is 90 percent mental, 10 percent physical."
Diaz says he has a lot to offer Ukraine. "I have a lot of military experience," he said, "I did go to Iraq and Afghanistan " I have some flight experience. Also, I was field artillery in the Marine Corps. Also, I've got some experience driving tanks. Enough to be a valuable asset to Ukraine."
According to his Tik Tok page, Diaz spent some $2,700 of his own money purchasing uniforms and field equipment, including a flak vest and helmet, to take with him to Ukraine.
But by late March, Diaz was still in the U.S., waiting further instructions from the Ukrainian embassy. He never made the trip.
The Ukrainians, it seemed, had cooled to the idea of Americans fighting for the International Legion. Where once they were welcoming ("Foreigners willing to defend Ukraine and world order as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, I invite you to contact foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine in your respective countries," the Ukrainian foreign minister tweeted in early March), by the end of March the Ukrainian embassy stopped publicly commenting on U.S. applications.
The primary reason for this newfound publicity shyness appears to be the poor performance of the International Legion during its first combat experiences, fighting Russian troops in the Kiev suburb of Irpin in mid-March.
Haphazard Approach
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