The Ukrainians are at the Alamo and they are waiting for Sam Houston and his army to arrive. Will they? That is the charged metaphor plucked from American history that Commander Mykola Melnyk, a decorated war veteran from Ukraine, employed to describe what he sees as the existential turning p oint we have arrived at — not only for Ukraine, but for America, Europe, the entire West. Melnyk, who wears two leg prostheses from wounds he received in his service with an assault brigade, is the founder of the Brave Children of Ukraine. That’s a foundation dedicated to providing “wrap-around” services to young people whose soldier parents have been killed in what is now the fifth year of war since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Sunday morning he spoke to more than 100 Greater New Haven area Ukrainian-Americans and their allies at a tasty fund-raising luncheon at St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church on George Street. “We are now the world’s soldiers at Fort Alamo,” Melnyk said, over a cup of hot borscht. “And we bear the shield and sword for the entire democracies of the West.” “Putin hates America,” Melnyk continued, in the calm, quiet voice of an officer, and he will be coming for us and the West unless he is stopped, he averred. A tall, handsome 41-year-old, who very much looks the part of the undaunted soldier he is, and also a divorced single dad raising a 6-year-old daughter, Melnyk suspended his career as a lawyer to defend his country. After recovering from his wounds, he rejoined the army and now serves in a drone unit. His visit to St. Michael’s was part of a weeks-long private — that is, non-official Ukrainian government — tour in America both to fundraise for his foundation and to ring the alarm. An officer who addressed the American military in 2025 at the National Defense University, Melnyk said he is here delivering cautionary news not only about the dire Ukrainian situation but also America’s slowness to wake up. “I see how your colonels,” he said, “have old-fashioned thinking. I want in future wars for American soldiers to stay alive.” Melnyk’s tour this year began with gatherings earlier this month in Washington, D.C., where he met with American army officers, including, he said, several “two-stars,” meaning U.S. generals, to raise awareness and to update them about the view from the new drone landscape. After New Haven he’s bound for gatherings with Ukrainian communities and officials in Arizona and California. And the link between the Brave Children of Ukraine Foundation and the wake-up call for American support? “Simple,” he answered. “The more support there will be for the Ukrainian army, the fewer orphans there will be.” Two long-time stalwart supporters of Ukraine — U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal — also made impassioned appearances at Sunday’s lunch, contributing rousing speeches at what is universally acknowledged to be a dangerous low point in U.S. support of Ukraine. “In the many times I’ve been in this sacred hall,” said Blumenthal, “this is the moment of most maximum danger and vulnerability.” “I’ve never been so angry and ashamed by a president who has violated the law — importing [Russian] diesel, cutting intelligence, lifting sanctions … we are aiding Putin and this is a devastating blow to our own national security. “We need to say to Trump, ‘Yes, hitting Russian refineries is necessary, and they need to hit the launch pads. “Of all the harsh winters, this one will be the hardest. In Russian, do you know the slang they call this bombing? They call it ‘human safari.’” Then Blumenthal turned to Commander Melnyk and said, “Today while I’m filled with anger at Donald Trump, there’s also joy and pride at your love of your country and people. When you return, give them this message: The American people stand with Ukraine. We’ll stand with you now, and forever.” When DeLauro finished her similarly impassioned remarks, Commander Melnyk withdrew from his pocket a small gift for her, a silver box. Inside was a key chain with this wording at the end on a slim thumb-size plaque: “Original piece of Russian strategic air-to-ground cruise missile X 101, also known as ‘Kh-101.’” It was a piece of Russian ordinance that Melnyk’s unit had brought down. “Evidence,” he said, as if it were needed. “If we believe Ukraine is the key to democracy and independence, then it’s our responsibility, then we need to make sure Ukraine has all it needs,” DeLauro added. “I believe we’ll get back in the majority on Nov. 3, and then we’ll turn this around.” At an event that was as much a spirit-lifter as a fund-raiser, the American legislators received a standing ovation, and yet the heart of the event for attendees was Melnyk and all he represented. Kateryna Repeta, one of the event’s organizers and his interlocutor in the public conversation held on the stage beneath draped American and Ukrainian flags, asked Melnyk how he speaks to his own daughter to explain the life they are living in Ukraine today. “Yes. My daughter,” he answered, slowly. “All the night she hears the bombing. Then, in the morning, she goes to school and finds it is closed because of damage. She must come home and tries to study instead online. During the day we have three or four alarms and she goes to the bunker. Then at night again the Russians attack again with missiles and drones. Yes, it’s a challenge, every hour, to stay alive, and to study.” “And how,” followed up Repeta, “do you find the words to . . . support her?” “My daughter is strong,” he replied. “And we try to explain that this dark time will come to an end. ‘And it is you,‘ I tell her, ‘who must rebuild this country. We can only fight, but it is you who must rebuild. So you must study, study, study…’” Myron Melnyk (not related), a spokesperson at the George Street church and its longtime program of sending financial, medical, and other support to Ukrainian veterans, said that in the commander’s unit they take two oaths: The first, of course, to country, but a second to help take care of their brother (or sister) soldier’s children if someone dies in battle. At heart, that is the genesis of the foundation. “When a soldier dies, an entire universe falls with him,” Commander Melnyk wrote in a letter distributed at the event for attendees. “Because it is not only a warrior who dies but a son, a brother, and a father. A child who has lost a father is left without support in this life, and our mission is to give that child all the support.” The registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit cares not only for orphans but also for the many children who have parents (sometimes both at the same time) serving on the front lines. For those interested in helping, the contact is bravechildren.org or [email protected]. Or checks can be mailed to NHCT UAHA Fundc/o St. Michael’s Church569 George StreetNew Haven, CT 06511 The post Ukrainian Commander Sounds “Alamo” Alarm appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less