Our ideological inspirer and founder of the international organization TAPS, Bonnie Carroll, visited us. Her visit is always an important event for our team and Ukraine. This year, Bonnie Carroll arrived with American veterans who were seriously injured during their service and now live with prostheses. The purpose of the visit is to support Ukrainians in wartime and discuss the issues of recovery and rehabilitation of Ukrainian veterans.
The American delegation, led by Bonnie, together with the director of the foundation, Yulia Dmytrova, held several important meetings. They talked with the mayor of the city, Borys Filatov, inspected the house that suffered from the night shelling on November 10, as well as the 118th house on the Peremoha residential area. They visited the John McCain Library of the Ukrainian Diaspora, and also visited the modern rehabilitation department of one of the hospitals in Dnipro.
American veterans who came with Bonnie Carroll visited Ukraine for the first time. This wonderful initiative by Bonnie is a big step that should contribute to the development of rehabilitation programs for our veterans. We hope for further support and cooperation in the implementation of new and effective rehabilitation and support programs for both veterans and families of fallen defenders.
Yulia Dmytrova, Director of the TAPS Charitable Foundation
We ended the day at the TAPS office with a meeting of American and Ukrainian veterans. They shared their experience of veteran rehabilitation in the USA and Ukraine.
I believe that the needs of veterans in the USA and Ukraine are very similar: we all want to return to our usual life, feel peace in our heads, remain mobile despite our injuries, and integrate into society. That is why we are trying to do everything in our power to achieve this. It was very important for us to communicate and hear real stories about the needs of veterans in Ukraine in order to understand how we can help.
Sarah Lee - US Army Veteran
The US military drew attention to the fact that rehabilitation activities for Ukrainian soldiers are already taking place in Ukraine despite real combat operations.
All the bureaucracy recedes when a veteran speaks to a veteran. It is much more effective when we communicate with each other. This is the value of small groups coming together. We hear each other, talk about real needs, and together we seek and find solutions.
Chris Corbin - US Army Veteran
They also emphasized that caring for mental health and communication "veteran to veteran" - greatly help recovery.
Our veterans have seen how bravely Ukraine is fighting for freedom, and now they will return home to tell America about this fight and call for further support. America must stand firmly on the side of Ukraine.
Bonnie Carroll - Founder of the international organization Taps
This meeting improved the understanding of the needs of Ukrainian veterans and ways of support that can soon be implemented through joint efforts.
