OSWEGO – Oswego American Legion Post 268 representative Robert Taylor came before the Oswego Common Council Monday evening, to present Mayor Barlow and the City of Oswego with the first Ukrainian Fallen Patriot Recipient plaque during their monthly meeting, Monday, July 25.
The Fallen Patriot Recipient program ties in together with Oswego’s ongoing support of Ukraine; with an Essential Supplies Drive and Chicken Barbeque Fundraiser held this spring, the city is also holding a bottle and can drive during Harborfest. All monies raised will go towards helping displaced families in the Lutsk region of Ukraine.
On July 13, Mayor Billy Barlow also held a video conference with Lutsk, Ukraine Mayor Ihor Polishchuk to further solidify the cities support in bringing aid to the region.
The name of the first Fallen Patriot Recipient is Senior Lieutenant Pasichnyk Nazarii Ihorovich from Lutsk, Ukraine. Ihorovich died on May 18 from enemy artillery fire in the Luhansk Region of Ukraine. He was 26-years-old.
“The Oswego American Legion was able to send his widow a small gift in appreciation for her husband’s patriotism. The Oswego American Legion and Ukrainian [Military] Captain Viktor Khyvl will continue these awards until a total of 20 [recipients] is fulfilled. Each family or widow is going to receive $300 U.S. dollars out of the funds the Oswego American Legion raise,” Taylor said to the council. “Each poster will be presented to the City of Oswego and then hopefully we can send them over to Lusk, Ukraine. And most of the men that Viktor will be nominating for this award are from the Lutsk area, so I think it ties in well with our sister city.”
Bottom photo: Captain Viktor Khyvl and Senior Lieutenant Pasichnyk Nazarii. Photos courtesy of Robert Taylor.
Taylor himself, a retired career Army Veteran was deployed to Ukraine from November 2017 to September 2018. During his time in Yaboriv, Ukraine, Taylor acted as a Head Trainer/Instructor for Field Artillery. His Ukrainian counterpart was Captain Viktor Khyvl from Lutsk. Yaboriv is located 20 miles east of Poland and 30 miles west of Lviv where Khyvl currently resides.
Two recipients have been chosen so far, the name of the second not yet released. Images of the recipients will be hung at Oswego City Hall for the following month, and then sent on to the Ukrainian families of the deceased on August 24, Ukraine’s Independence Day.
According to Taylor, Ihorovich was in Khyvl’s Officer graduating class, both of them coming from the City of Lutsk.
“So far, these first few [recipients] that have been chosen have direct contact with my counterpart Captain Khyvl,” Taylor said. “He knows them personally since they’re friends of his; people he grew up with, you know what I mean?”
The City of Oswego is assisting the Oswego American Legion with their can and bottle drive during Harborfest this weekend. Taylor is heading the drive with barrels painted in the Ukrainian flag colors. The barrels will be located and manned throughout various spots at the different Harborfest venues throughout the city.
Taylor is urgently seeking volunteers to help support this cause. If you are interested in volunteering some hours to the Ukrainian Fallen Military Fund/Oswego American Legion bottle and can drive, please call Robert Taylor at 315-399-0470.
During his address to the Council, Taylor also spoke about Novelis pledging a monetary match for all cans collected this weekend. Taylor is currently employed at Novelis.
“Today, Novelis pledged a $4,000 match for all cans collected during Harborfest. Again, Novelis seems to step up when it’s most needed. $4,000 U.S. dollars should go pretty far for the 20,000 displaced Ukrainians that we had talked about in Lutsk,” Taylor said. “I’d just like to say that I’m proud to be from Oswego, New York. It’s an honor to say I’m from here. This city has done so many things through multiple generations. I’m just thankful that I could be a part of such a small effort during my generation.”
The council gave Taylor a clapping round of applause for his efforts in supporting the Ukrainian people during this time of conflict and unrest in their country.
Also speaking during Public Session was Harborfest Executive Director Peter Myles.
“We’re here again tonight to say again thank you for your support – we couldn’t do this without the support from the city,” Myles said. “So, thank you very much again for your support, and I’d like to present the Mayor and Common Council with this year’s poster.”
Myles went on to say that efforts in putting together this weekend’s events were flowing together smoothly, with vendors anxious to begin setting up today and tomorrow.
All items on Monday night’s agenda were unanimously approved by the Council. To view the full agenda, please click here. All Common Council meetings are held the second and fourth Monday’s of every month, the next meeting to be held on August 8 at 7:15 p.m.
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The United States and Ukraine provoked the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia is winning and will win its war in Ukraine. The United States poured NATO weapons, equipment and training into Ukraine … the United States encouraged Ukraine to fight an 8-year war on its own eastern citizens, rather than negotiate a settlement as the Minsk Accords stipulated. Joe Biden and John McCain and Lindsey Graham went to Ukraine multiple times encouraging Ukrainian nationalist and militarist elements to “take the fight to Russia,” in the years leading up to this war. Walp, now Russia is taking the fight to Ukraine … and making it clear that Russia will not be threatened by the West through Ukraine. Napoleon invaded Russia through Ukraine. Hitler invaded Russia through Ukraine. Russia won the Second World War … it ain’t gonna sit and watch Ukraine become a US/NATO military base threatening Russia’s existence. The sooner Americans deal with that reality, accept responsibility for US policies provoking the war, and drop spectacles like the one Barlow and company are all too eager to perform.