L'VIV, Ukraine--Thunderbird leadership joined with their Ukrainian partners to honor the sacrifices of fallen Ukrainian servicemembers in a ceremony in L'viv, Ukraine on Defender of Ukraine Day.
The ceremony was held at the Lychakiv Cemetery where hundreds of Ukrainian civilians, veterans and soldiers gathered along with military leaders from the United States and Canada who are working at the nearby International Peacekeeping and Security Center to mentor the Ukrainian military.
The October 14 holiday was established in 2014 by president Petro Porshenko to honor those who have served and are currently serving. Defender of Ukraine Day replaced the former February 23 Defender of the Fatherland Day, which was a holiday of Soviet origin.
"It's an honor for us to be here with our Ukrainian partners to observe this special day and recognize the sacrifices being made by young men and women in Ukraine to help ensure their country's freedom and sovereignty," said Col. Charles Booze, the chief of staff of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine.
In 2017 alone, 288 soldiers from L'viv Oblast have sacrificed their lives alongside more than 3,600 nationwide who have died in combat serving Ukraine since 2014.
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