American KIA in Ukraine brought home over Thanksgiving weekend

Two other American bodies were identified, and are in the process of being repatriated soon. We explore the process of identifying and bringing home deceased American soldiers from Ukraine.

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The bodies of two of the three Americans at a ceremony in Kyiv’s Maidan, or Independence Square, which took place before the repatriation of the first body. (Photo courtesy of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation)

The remains of three Americans fighting on behalf of Ukraine have been identified, with the first arriving home over Thanksgiving weekend.

The bodies were in a Ukrainian morgue as a result of an exchange between Ukraine and Russia, but were not identified as the missing Americans until October — this according to the R.T. Weatherman Foundation, the NGO helping facilitate the identification and return for the bodies.

All three were U.S. military veterans that had served in the Ukrainian International Legion of Defense Intelligence. The first arrived in America on Saturday, while the other two are in the process of returning.

“That is our duty: to bring them back home,” said Lauren Guillaume, who leads the organization’s Missing in Action/Killed in Action team.

The American whose body arrived stateside this weekend is a combat veteran who had served in the Oregon and Montana Army National Guard, with deployments to Djibouti, Kuwait, and Syria – including action in the campaign to fight ISIS.

The operation to identify and return these Americans has taken the better part of a year, highlighting the challenge of finding missing or killed soldiers in Ukraine — a grueling task made especially difficult by the drone and artillery threat on the frontlines.

With the coming return of all three, the families can at least end one chapter of their tragedy — the part involving not knowing what became of a loved one. Identification and repatriation are critical milestones in the surviving families’ grief, a process which every person deals with differently.

“One of the moms of these three Americans, she's been so incredibly strong. She laughed and she said, ‘Of course, we missed him so much at Thanksgiving – but he would eat all the food!’ So we laughed about that,” Guillaume recounted.

A mourner at the ceremony to honor two of the Americans in Kyiv. (Photo courtesy of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation)

The long road to repatriating the bodies began this spring.

Guillaume first began collecting DNA for potential matches, running down possible leads, and sifting through photos of unidentified remains. She’s currently dealing with approximately 70 cases representing missing or killed in action (MIA/KIA) soldiers from sixteen different countries, about half of whom are Americans.

“In many cases families are told that the retrieval of their son or their brother or their loved one is near impossible,” she told The Counteroffensive. “It's our job… as a foundation to believe that it can be possible.”

Their task is a challenging one: morgues across Ukraine are filled to capacity, and there are no standard procedures for morgues to coordinate with police departments and DNA identification centers.

Dental x-rays, fingerprinting and DNA matching are all ways that the bodies of the fallen are identified. But in the case of these three Americans, it was a tattoo match that led to their identities being confirmed.

She had received a tip to take a closer look at a particular morgue, and, working with a Ukrainian police investigator, was able to review body intake photos that included visuals of tattoos.

After morgue officials used a chemical technique to restore tattoos, a positive identification was made. The tattoo helped them break their case open: using that initial lead, they were able to find two more Americans who they had been searching for.

“So it was very, very clear and evident that these three remains were a direct match to these three Americans,” Guillaume said.

The foundation declined to publicly name the three Americans, noting that their families could become a target for Russian trolls and other bad actors.

It has taken about a month between the initial identification and the return of the bodies due to necessary paperwork, the completion of police investigations, and coordination with the U.S. embassy and the Ukrainian military.

The next step is the dignified transfer itself.

“Hemingway has a saying, ‘A man has two deaths: The first is the last time someone takes their breath. The second is the last time someone says their name,’” Guillaume recalled. “And so it's our duty to continue the legacy and continue the fight for these families and for the fallen.”

The repatriation of a former U.S. service member back to the United States. Although this is not one of the three Americans mentioned in this story, this scene is typical of how the process would unfold. (Photo courtesy of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation)

The repatriation involves a personal escort wherever possible, and a formal ceremony when the body is unloaded from the plane. The casket is draped with a heavy American flag, with embroidered stars. NGOs like the R.T. Weatherman Foundation and its partner, Honor the Fallen, also help ensure that the route the bodies take is adorned with signs showing support.

In a broader sense, these American organizations are trying to lead by example to show Ukraine how to increase their capabilities to identify and return fallen soldiers. Sadly, with every passing day, this need increases.

“[Ukrainians] truly do care about honoring all of their veterans in a dignified way. And we're working with them to teach them practices that America uses to honor the veterans, repatriate with dignity,” Guillaume said. “And they’re listening.”

NEWS OF THE DAY:

NATO MEMBERSHIP FOR UKRAINE TO HALT WAR: Zelenskyy suggested that the "hot phase" of the war against Russia could end if Ukrainian-controlled territories are placed under NATO protection. In this scenario, Kyiv would pursue the return of occupied territories diplomatically.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine should receive an invitation to join NATO within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea. However, he argued that NATO membership should be granted to unoccupied territories to "ensure that Putin does not return" to seize additional Ukrainian land. Ukraine has asked NATO for an invitation to join the alliance next week.

KELLOGG: LIFT SANCTIONS FOR RUSSIA IN PEACE DEAL: The peace plan, proposed in April by the U.S. Special Representative for the Russian-Ukrainian War, Keith Kellogg, includes the complete lifting of sanctions against Russia and a freeze on the front line, CNN reported.

According to this plan, sanctions would allegedly be eased to encourage Russia to agree to peace talks. The full lifting of sanctions would follow a peace agreement that satisfies Kyiv. The plan does not involve giving up the occupied territories but requires Kyiv to reclaim them diplomatically. In this deal, Ukraine's NATO membership would also be delayed indefinitely.

N. KOREA’S KIM FALSE CLAIMS: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed that the West forced Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range weapons. In response, he stated that Moscow must take measures to make "enemy forces pay the price." Kim’s statement is false. Ukraine has been advocating for long-range strike permission for months, but was provided it only recently due to Biden administration hesitation.

LARGE-SCALE DISRUPTION OF RUSSIAN OPERATORS: The Ukrainian IT Army carried out a major disruption targeting some of Russia's largest companies, including interruptions to the Russian messenger Telegram and the Discord communication platform, both of which are actively used by the Russian military for coordination. The operation is said to have caused $360 million in economic losses for Russia.

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DOG OF WAR:

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Stay safe out there.

Best,
Tim