In my last post, I wrote that even if a person is afraid to go to the trenches or even join the Armed Forces, there are still many ways and opportunities to help the Armed Forces and contribute to our victory. I also wrote that if a person is afraid to go to the trenches, it is understandable, there is a certain explanation and justification for this. But if a person simply fled abroad and is trying to forget about everything, or if, remaining in Ukraine, they simply want to shut themselves off from all this, then such people are real scum. We must all make every effort to end this war and ensure that the side of good prevails.
One person asked in the comments, “How exactly can we help?” They meant that people who did not dare to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine, how can they help?
I gave a fairly short answer, saying that this can be done through volunteering. Either by donating money to various funds, or by participating in volunteer activities yourself. Yes, practical help is definitely the most important thing right now. But, in addition to this (I would even say – in addition to this), there are a number of other very important and valuable things. That is what this article will be about.
While serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, observing and communicating with my comrades, I saw that moral support is also very important.
You yourself know how much money the Russians spend on spreading disinformation. Even without this, people today are often afraid of the military.
Soldiers can often spend weeks or months in trenches or in basements near Donetsk. I myself spent many months in basements in the Donetsk region.
And then such a person goes out into society, going to a store, passing through, or going on vacation. And so this person comes out into society, into civilian society. How does he feel? He is a little confused, because everything is unfamiliar to him. And he does not know how those around him feel about him. He does not know whether they are afraid of him, whether they have already forgotten about him as a soldier and no one needs him, or whether, on the contrary, they are happy to see him.
At such a moment, a simple warm word from a civilian, or a small act or gesture, can show the soldier that these civilians are happy to see him here, that he is needed. And the one person who has shown a certain kindness to the soldier with a word or an act is like a representative of all the other dozens or hundreds of civilians the soldier has met. Seeing a positive attitude from one person, a soldier may feel that he is welcome here. Be such representatives.
I am a bit of a slacker by nature, at certain moments, and usually I don’t really care how others treat me. But I remember that after several months of living in a basement in the Donetsk region, I went to a shopping center in Zaporizhia, and I remember looking around and trying to understand how civilians now treated me as a soldier. It’s a little unpleasant to see fear in people’s eyes, because I’m a good person 🙂 But the worst thing is to see complete indifference. It is very important that a soldier who has come out of the trenches or basements does not see complete indifference towards himself in society. It is not necessary for everyone to bow down at his feet, that is not necessary. But at least a small gesture or a word will show that he is welcome here, that he is needed by this society, that what he is doing is not a mistake, but an important cause.
I saw three types of people in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The first are volunteers, who most often joined the Armed Forces voluntarily at the beginning of the invasion. The second are semi-volunteers, who after some time, under pressure from circumstances, still decided to join the Armed Forces. Incidentally, I belong to this type. The third type are those who were caught. They understand that they should defend their homeland, but they did not intend to do so, yet they were forced to. You may be surprised, but I have not seen anyone who joined the Armed Forces purely to earn money.
All three types of people need moral support. They need to feel that they are needed by society. It is important that through the warm attitude of people, they can feel again and again that what they are doing is important. I would like to emphasize the words “again and again.” Everyone probably saw how warmly the military was welcomed at the beginning of the war. Now this has become much less common. And the military are coming to the conclusion that no one needs them now.
It can be a simple greeting. A man can approach a soldier and shake his hand, or just say “hello, brother.” A woman can say “thank you.” A soldier can be let skip the line; it’s a small gesture, but it shows respect, and that is very valuable.
As someone who has periodically participated in the reception of new recruits, I have seen that lately, most people are of the third type. People who were caught and forced to join. Deep down, they understand that this is what needs to be done, but they certainly did not want to do it of their own free will. Often, these are simple, not very wealthy people. In their lives, they have rarely been treated like heroes. And if they feel this from society, it can be a new experience for them. They may feel that for the first time in their lives, they are being treated with such respect. And what they are doing, especially if they are at zero, is 100% worthy of great respect.
To sum up this article, I want to convey the key idea—even your simple words or small actions towards the military are very important.
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