The topic of this article is now, for me, an obsession. I want Ukraine to win, I want the side of good to win, I want peace, I want to return home to my beloved wife and daughter, to my loved ones and relatives. And I want to never have to return to war. Probably most of us want the same thing.
That is why I have been thinking a lot about what needs to be done to ensure that war never comes to us again. I analyzed my experience from my life before joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine, analyzed what I have seen here in the Armed Forces, and analyzed what people say.
And one of the most important, if not the most important, concepts I identified is responsibility. I even looked up the meaning of this word in dictionaries. In one, I found this definition: “A duty imposed on someone or taken upon oneself to be responsible for a certain area of work, a matter, someone’s actions, deeds, or words.” In another, I found this: “A duty or mission that must be fulfilled. An obligation or burden that a person bears in connection with a particular matter and its consequences.“
We are all familiar with the concept of ”peace through strength.” How can we become strong? More precisely, how can we become truly strong? I believe that strength and power come from responsibility. Many people think that strength comes from having a large amount of weapons and money. I think that this alone is not enough; just having a lot of money and weapons will not make our army and country strong. Of course, weapons and money are absolutely necessary for a strong army and a strong country, but they alone are not enough.
Working at headquarters, in the military, I had the opportunity to observe the work of the entire system, the entire organization. Moreover, I had the opportunity to see the consequences of certain actions or, conversely, inaction. And here’s what I saw: in the army, everything depends on responsible people.
If there is a responsible person who has taken responsibility for a certain area, then everything in that area is in order, everything works smoothly, and this contributes to the smooth functioning of the entire organism. Everything is done on time, properly, and with the appropriate quality. And this makes the entire system, the entire organism, the entire unit more coordinated, stronger, and more powerful.
I have communicated with quite a large number of people, communicated with those who decided to leave the unit, asked them, “Why did you decide to leave here?” and in most cases they replied that they could no longer live in this chaos, saying that they felt that no one cared about them. When a person complains that no one cares about them, what does that mean? It means that someone in a certain position is not fulfilling their responsibilities properly… And then that person, not feeling the necessary care for themselves, comes to the conclusion that no one cares about them. For example:
If the military unit is not functioning well and a person does not receive the money they deserve, they are not awarded the rewards and bonuses they deserve, then they feel injustice. Or if a person submits a report for leave and cannot wait for their leave ticket to be processed, etc. And then they get the feeling that no one cares about them. And then what? Then they start thinking, “Well, then I don’t care about anything either.” Conversely, if the military unit is functioning well, people see that they are receiving bonuses and premiums (deserved bonuses and premiums!). They see that when they submit a report, it doesn’t just sit in some drawer, but is actually processed. If they call her and ask:
– “Have you already applied for health benefits this year?”
– “No, I haven’t.”
– “Well, then we’ll do everything for you, you just need to sign. When it’s convenient, come to the office.”
And then what? Then the person feels that someone cares about them, thinks about them, remembers them! “Wow, they really care about me getting my health benefits! They called me themselves, reminded me themselves, and will do everything themselves. Wow!” And then it gives motivation, and it’s not just about the money. People see that they are being thought of, remembered, and cared for. Such people will be more motivated to do their difficult work.
If logistics are not working well, people may not receive the necessary weapons, clothing, equipment, and even food. And then what? Well, of course, people get the feeling that no one cares about them, that no one needs them. Conversely, if people perform their responsibilities well, something like this might happen: someone calls them and says:
“Hi! Some fleece jackets (those comfortable jackets) were recently delivered to the warehouse. Do you have a fleece jacket? If not, I can find your property certificate and give you a fleece jacket.”
And then what? Then the person is simply amazed. Amazed that someone remembered them and cares about them. Of course, this motivates them, and it’s not just about the jacket.
The same story applies to civil-military cooperation, when a person is confident that their family is being taken care of, and the relatives of the wounded receive what they asked for, and then they don’t feel that the state doesn’t care about them.
The same story applies to MPZ (moral and psychological support), when psychologists communicate with people. I can tell you for sure that psychological support is very, very important and necessary in the army. People themselves are often unable to cope with everything on their own.
I won’t even mention the planning departments, operational duty officers, and communications officers. I don’t think I need to explain anything here.
Now let’s imagine that there is a soldier in a unit where no one wants to fulfill their responsibilities. Most likely, he feels deeply offended by this unit and by the state in general. The state and his unit have abandoned him; no one needs him. He has long since come to the conclusion that if the state doesn’t care about him, then he doesn’t care about anything either. He most likely doesn’t have the necessary equipment or even an understanding of what needs to be done. And now this soldier has been given the latest and most modern weapons. Will this help much? Will it guarantee victory? I doubt it.
What’s more, in order for these weapons to reach him (and not end up in some warehouse), to arrive on time, in the right condition, and in the right place, there need to be responsible people in the right positions.
In this article, I used the army and its system as an example. In civilian life, in our country, it is the same. Because the army is a simple cross-section of society, people come here from society, bringing with them all the problems and shortcomings that exist there.
The main conclusion of this article is that it is not America or Europe that makes Ukraine stronger, but first and foremost, we make Ukraine stronger. All of us, each and every one of us, whether we are in the Armed Forces or working at ATB.
At the beginning of this article, I said that I want the war to end as soon as possible and never come back. But that was not an entirely accurate statement. War awaits us throughout our lives. Yes, I believe that the war will continue for more than a decade.
I believe that a ceasefire will eventually come. But whether the armed phase will start again and whether Ukraine and democracy will win at all depends on us, on each of us. On everyone.
We must prepare ourselves for a long war, a war of democracy against communism, a war of freedom and human rights against tyranny and totalitarianism. And I very much hope that we will properly fulfill our responsibility and that this war will never again turn into an armed conflict.
After the end of the armed phase, I intend to devote my entire life to ensuring that the side of good wins this war.
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