05/06/2024
Former marine Robichaux (Fight for Us) delivers an uneven account of his aid efforts in Ukraine. Following Russia’s 2022 invasion, Robichaux and his son Hunter headed to Ukraine with Save Our Allies, an organization that aids Americans and allies in war-torn countries. The conflict was “like nothing I’d ever experienced before,” Robichaux writes, describing how he dodged Russian attacks, procured communications supplies, and saw evidence of war crimes, “from mass graves filled with the bodies of women and children to... the use of chemical weapons on civilians.” The author’s harrowing recollections of these atrocities and how he held onto his faith in the face of them are the most resonant parts of the book (“Pain and even death are not permanent,” he writes. “Bad things do happen to good people.... But it’s not the end of the story”). Unfortunately, the impact is undercut by the author’s digressions into such political issues as America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, and by his naive policy suggestions, as when he asserts that “the president of the United States does have the power and ability to swiftly end this war” by demanding a ceasefire and leading NATO humanitarian forces into Ukraine. Despite some moving moments, this misses the mark. (Aug.)