Two months after the war in Ukraine began, the first American citizen killed was informed on Friday: Willie Joseph Kansel, a soldier in the former Marine Corps, volunteered to fight alongside the Ukrainians and was killed in an operation on behalf of a private security company.
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The 22-year-old Kansel was killed Monday, leaving behind a 7-month-old woman and baby.
His mother, Rebecca Kerbera, told CNN that even before the war he had joined the private security company, in addition to being an employee of the Tennessee State Prison Service.
Former US Marine Willy Joseph Cancel was reportedly the first American to be killed while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.
According to his mother, he was hired by a private military contracting company.
@BrianToddCNN reports.
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When the fighting started the company was looking for people who would agree to fight in Ukraine and he agreed.
"He wanted to get there because he believed in what Ukraine was fighting for, and he wanted to be part of that effort so that what was happening there would not get here either and they would not have to send U.S. military forces," Carvera told CNN.
He flew to Poland on March 12 and apparently crossed into Ukraine that day.
According to her, he fought in a unit composed of "fighters from all sorts of countries."
His body is still in Russian hands.
His wife Britney told Fox News he "went there because he wanted to help people, he wanted to be a cop or a firefighter in New York. And when he heard about what happened in Ukraine he was determined to volunteer."
President Biden also referred to the case and said "this is a very sad case, he left behind a little baby".
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