Cancel, a former U.S. Marine, according to his mother, enrolled to work for a private military contractor in addition to his full-time job as a penitentiary in Tennessee shortly before the outbreak of war in Ukraine in late February. said Cabrera. When the war broke out, the company, according to Cabrera, was looking for contractors to fight in Ukraine and Cancel agreed to go, Cabrera said. “He wanted to go because he believed in what Ukraine was fighting for and he wanted to be part of it to limit it there, so that he would not come here, and that maybe our American soldiers should not be involved in that,” he said. Cabrera on CNN in a telephone interview. Cancel flew to Poland on March 12 and flew to Ukraine sometime on March 12 and 13, Cabrera said. The group of men Cancel fought was from “all different countries,” Cabrera said. Those who notified her of her son’s death told Cabrera that his body had not been found. “They have not found his body,” he said. “The men who were with him are trying to grab his body or kill him, but we would like him to come back to us.” A State Department official said “they are aware of these reports and are closely monitoring the situation.” “Due to privacy issues, we have no further comments,” the official added. “We reiterate that US citizens should not travel to Ukraine because of the active armed conflict and the blockade of US citizens in Ukraine by Russian security officials, and that US citizens in Ukraine should leave immediately if it is safe. using any commercially or other privately available ground transportation options. ” Cancel leaves behind a 7-month-old baby and a woman, Cabrera said. Cancel lived in Tennessee before leaving for Ukraine and comes from Orange County, New York, said Devin Tietze Jr., Cancel’s brother-in-law. Cabrera said Cancel “always puts everyone in front of himself.” “He was just a really thoughtful man. He always put everyone in front of himself, even when things were so stressful,” Cabrera said of her son. “He always kept everyone laughing and calm. He was the man who got up when everyone else was standing back.” Tietze said Cancel was “the guy who fights for what is right regardless of the outcome” when asked why Cancel decided to take part in the race in Ukraine. “He wholeheartedly believed that this should not happen and wanted to go and help people in Ukraine,” Tietze said in a telephone interview. Cabrera said Cancel “wanted” to do the military contract work. “It was something he believed in his heart, that was the right thing to do. He was the type of man who always went up when everyone else was back, and there were a lot of men who were that way with him.” said Cabrera. Earlier on Thursday, the British government confirmed that a British citizen had been killed in Ukraine and said officials were “urgently seeking further information” on another missing person, a British Foreign Office spokesman told CNN.
“We can confirm that a British national was killed in Ukraine and that he is supporting his family,” they said.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has set up a special unit, the International Legion, for foreign fighters who wanted to take part in the fight against Russia. More than 20,000 volunteers and veterans from 52 countries had expressed a desire to take part in the race since March 7, according to Brig. General Kyrylo Budanov, Commander of the Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, will head this legion. CNN has previously reported on foreign nationals, including US and UK nationals, who had fled their homes to take part in the fight in Ukraine. CNN’s Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.