While I was in Washington DC advocating for Ukraine, I met Lesya Jurgovsky. We were both members of the Pennsylvania delegation. She lives in the Pittsburgh area.
Lesya emigrated from Yazlovets, Ukraine, in 2004. She worked in agriculture after earning a PhD in biology in Ukraine. Then in 2009, she joined the U.S. Army Reserve, serving for eight years. The next year, in 2010, while on duty with the Army, she became a U.S. citizen at a ceremony for serving soldiers.
In addition to her work with the American Coalition for Ukraine, Lesya supports many other volunteer organizations bringing aid and critical supplies to Ukraine.
Since I first joined the U.S. military in 1972, I have met and served with many soldiers who became U.S. citizens while on active duty with the military. One of the soldiers I served with became a citizen at Camp Adder, Iraq.
During the same advocacy trip, I met Ihor Chernik. He also emigrated to the U.S. after the fall of the Soviet Union. Ihor served in the Soviet Army in Poland. I was a tank commander on the other side of the border. Now Lesya and Ihor and I are all together in support of Ukraine against the Russian invaders.
