Two U.S. military veterans have been killed fighting Russian forces in Ukraine, according to officials, marking the latest deaths among American volunteers.
Andrew Irvin Webber, a volunteer in Ukraine’s 59th Motorized Brigade, and Lance Lawrence, who served in the Marine Corps, died during the same operation in Ukraine on July 29 according to Ryan O’Leary, a U.S. Army veteran who leads foreigners in Ukraine’s 59th Motorized Brigade.
“Lance Lawrence was killed during fighting recently on our last operation,” Mr. O’Leary posted on X, formally known as Twitter.
“He was providing cover fire under heavy enemy fire for fellow Chosen Company soldiers when he was wounded. Lance was our brother, our friend, and we will always cherish the time he was with us,” he said.
“Lance was enlisted into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He was not a mercenary out for blood or excited for combat. He came because he thought what was happening in Ukraine by Russia was wrong. Rest easy, brother,” Mr. O’Leary wrote.
Two weeks prior to his death, Mr. Lawrence had been shot in the arm but remained determined to continue fighting in Ukraine, Mr. O’Leary told Task & Purpose.
Mr. Webber, according to Mr. O’Leary died during the same operation as Mr. Lawrence.
“His smile, humor, and caringness will be missed. He leaves behind a caring wife and daughters,” he wrote of Mr. Lawrence.
A ‘Relentless Patriot and Defender of Freedom’
According to The Messenger, the two U.S. military veterans died in Pervomaiske, in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
Mr. Webber’s family issued a statement to Task & Purpose explaining he had served as a platoon leader and basic training company commander, a troop commander in the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and a plans officer at Grafenwoehr in Germany.
“He would use his resources as a West Point graduate, Northwestern Law School Doctorate, and his immense knowledge of history, culture, and language to protect others at the cost of his own life,” the family said.
Army spokeswoman Heather J. Hagan told the publication that Mr. Webber had served in the Army as a chemical officer from May 2006 to November 2009 and then as an infantry officer until July 2014. He has also served in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Ms. Hagan.
A GoFundMe page set up for Mr. Webber describes him as a “warrior” who gave his life in support of Ukraine’s independence as a volunteer in Ukraine’s 59th Motorized Brigade.
“He was a father to two beautiful young girls, Gwen and Vera, and husband to DeeDee. A trusted friend to many, who continued to build relationships through the years and across distance,” the page states.
“He graduated from the United States Military Academy (’05) and Northwestern Law. He was a veteran education mentor, a relentless patriot, and a defender of freedom who valued justice and liberty for others just as much as his own life. Andrew will be forever missed,” it adds.
The page has raised $38,575 so far.
The Epoch Times has been unable to confirm the authenticity of the GoFundMe page.
‘He Absolutely Loved the Ukrainian People’
Mr. Lawrence, meanwhile, served as a machine gunner in the Marine Corps from August 2013 to November 2016 and left the Corps at the rank of private first class, according to Task & Purpose.
He was deployed to the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea from January to July 2015, and his last duty assignment was with the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
In a statement to the publication, Mr. Lawrence’s family said he will be remembered for his “unwavering determination, infectious smile, and compassionate nature.”
“He was a down-to-earth person who gave a helping hand to anyone who needed it. He was an extremely intelligent individual. Lance went to Ukraine at the beginning of this year in February. He absolutely loved the Ukrainian people,” his family said.
Exact figures regarding how many Americans have volunteered to fight in Ukraine are not available, but at least 16 U.S. soldiers have died in the country since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to state-owned Russian media outlet, Tass.
Meanwhile, the death toll among Russian soldiers as a result of the ongoing invasion reportedly exceeds that of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, according to a joint study conducted by journalists at the Russian independent news sites Meduza and Mediazona and statistician Dmitry Kobak from the University of Tübingen in Germany.
That study found roughly 47,000 Russian troops are thought to have died since the invasion began, although the researchers stressed that the figure could actually be higher.
From The Epoch Times
