The majority of college students who study abroad spend their junior year in Paris, London, Madrid, or another opulent international city.
Alexis Anttila, a 28-year-old biology student from Dallas who attends Columbia University in New York City, has chosen to fight on the front lines in Ukraine over the comforts of an Ivy League classroom.
“I decided to first go to Ukraine when I saw 40 kilometers of tanks rolling toward Kyiv,” Anttilas explained. “Something in me said, ‘I have to go.’ As an American, the one thing I value most are my freedoms, and the Ukrainian people are currently having their freedoms trampled on by the Russians. And I felt inspired to go do something.”
That something turned out to be four tours of duty on the battlefield, including time as a combat medic, assisting in the loading of Howitzer shells, and firing anti-tank weapons like Javelins and NLAWs. Last year, her vehicle was hit by a land mine, and she helped save the life of a wounded Ukrainian colleague.
“We were about 10 to 15 kilometers behind enemy lines on a reconnaissance mission when our vehicle hit an anti-tank mine,” she said. The passenger in the front passenger seat was severely injured and had to have his left leg amputated. “We were able to pull him out of the vehicle, get a tourniquet on him, and thankfully everyone else in the vehicle was okay, except for some minor injuries and minor shrapnel wounds.”
Razom For Ukraine, a non-profit organisation based in New York that has been providing humanitarian and war relief to the besieged country, assisted in coordinating the surgery that saved the man’s life. According to Razom, one of its goals is to “advocate for a decisive Ukrainian victory, as this is a fundamental security interest for the United States and its allies.”
“Hundreds of tonnes of tactical medical kits, hospital supplies, medicines, and communication equipment have been provided by Razom,” the group says, noting that support for Ukraine remains strong in Washington, D.C.
“Members on both sides of the aisle — Republican and Democrat — are deeply and demonstrably committed to Ukraine’s victory….Lone or fringe voices can be loud, but not necessarily convincing. American leaders of both political parties are undertaking great efforts to see that Ukraine is ultimately victorious,” Razom noted on its website.
Anttila claims she is not afraid when she is on a mission, and while her parents in Texas are concerned about her, she claims they understand her commitment to helping the Ukrainian people defeat Vladimir Putin.
“Putin is scared. He’s sitting in Moscow and shelling out orders, but he doesn’t seem to understand, or at least he doesn’t seem to care what it’s actually like on the frontlines,” Anttila said.
She has one message for Putin.
“Get out of Ukraine, stop trampling on people’s freedoms, respect the sovereignty of the Ukrainian people, and just do the next right thing.”Anttila also stated that she intends to return to Ukraine until Putin’s forces are completely expelled.
