A former Australian soldier
stationed near the frontline in Ukraine has used his expertise to train
Ukrainian fighters to disarm and remove deadly land mines and traps.
Nathan Rompa, 29, traveled
from his home in Hobart to war-torn Ukraine a month ago to assist with
humanitarian relief.
The former ADF soldier served
in Afghanistan and was a specialist in explosive ordnance disposal.
He has joined a team of
ex-military engineers in Ukraine who are disarming and clearing mines, traps
and explosives across the country.
“We are working directly with
the police, who have largely taken on the role of the Ordnance Disposal
Service,” said Mr Rompa. the Mercury from Ukraine.
He explained that the
explosives team in Ukraine had already removed “tons of unexploded ordnance”
before arriving in the country.
Mr Rompa’s team was asked by
the “chief of police” to train “nearly 700 soldiers” who will go to the front
line to fight the Russian army.
“We are conducting mine
awareness training to give these guys a chance to fight against an extremely
dangerous threat,” the former soldier continued.
“After we complete this
training, our team will immediately go back into the field, travel across the
country to the affected areas and begin more clean-up operations.”
Mr Rompa’s travel, equipment,
accommodation and other expenses have come out of his own pocket.
He wanted to help long before
Ukraine was first invaded by Russia in February.
He has a Paypal account
to fund humanitarian efforts.
Mr Rompa served in the defense
force for four years, including a stint in Afghanistan, and is now an aid
worker for people with disabilities.
He admitted his family was
proud of his mission but heartbroken that he would risk his life again.
“It’s heartbreaking to see
Nathan leave and sacrifice his own life and time away from his family and
friends to keep the people of Ukraine safe, but we still want to be able to
support him,” Rompa’s sister Kate wrote on a GoFundMe to raise money for his
trip.
“Without people like this team
of engineers finding these devices, they could go off at any time, even years
away, and will affect families in Ukraine for years to come.”
The family set up a fundraiser
to fund his trip and the group’s efforts in Ukraine.
Unfortunately, the $6000
raised could not be delivered to Mr. Rompa abroad due to a terms of service
issue.
The Paypal account appears to
have been created in response to the fundraiser issues.
Mr Rompa plans to stay in Ukraine
for the next three months.
