Former US Marine killed while fighting with Ukrainian forces, family members confirm

‘It was either grab his body or get killed, but we would love for him to come back to us,’ mother says

A former US Marine has been killed while fighting with Ukrainian forces in Ukraine, family members have confirmed.

Willy Joseph Cancel, a 22-year-old US citizen, was killed on Monday while working for a private military contracting company, CNN reported.

His mother, Rebecca Cabrera, told the outlet that he was being paid while fighting in the country, where he had been sent by the company.

Ms Cabrera said her son had signed up to join the contracting company in addition to his job as a Tennessee corrections officer not long before the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.

When the war in Ukraine started, the company looked for contractors to join the fight and Mr Cancel agreed to go.

“He wanted to go over because he believed in what Ukraine was fighting for, and he wanted to be a part of it to contain it there so it didn’t come here, and that maybe our American soldiers wouldn’t have to be involved in it,” Ms Cabrera told CNN.

Mr Cancel flew to Poland on 12 March and entered Ukraine either that same day or the following day, according to Ms Cabrera. She added that the men that her son was fighting with were from “all different countries”.

Willy Cancel was killed in Ukraine after joining a private military contracting company (Willy Cancel / Facebook)

“They haven’t found his body,” she said. “They are trying, the men that were with him, but it was either grab his body or get killed, but we would love for him to come back to us.”

The State Department said it was “aware of these reports and are closely monitoring the situation”.

“Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment,” an official said. “We once again reiterate US citizens should not travel to Ukraine due to the active armed conflict and the singling out of US citizens in Ukraine by Russian government security officials, and that US citizens in Ukraine should depart immediately if it is safe to do so, using any commercial or other privately available ground transportation options.”

Mr Cancel is survived by his wife and seven-month-old child, Ms Cabrera said. His brother-in-law, Devin Tietze Jr, said Mr Cancel is originally from Orange County, New York.

“He was just a really thoughtful person. He always put everybody ahead of himself even when situations were so stressful,” his mother told CNN. “He always kept everybody laughing and calm. He was the man that stood up when everybody else stood back.”

Mr Tietze was asked why Mr Cancel chose to join the war effort and told the outlet that he was the “type to fight for what’s right regardless of the outcome”.

“He believed wholeheartedly this shouldn’t have happened and he wanted to go help the people in Ukraine,” Mr Tietze added.

Ms Cabrera said Mr Cancel “wanted” to do the job.

“It was something that he believed in his heart, that was the right thing. He was the type of man who always stepped up when everybody else stepped back, and there were a lot of men who were like that that were with him,” she said.

The UK government confirmed on Thursday that a British citizen had also died in Ukraine. A UK foreign office official told the network that it was “urgently seeking further information” on another person who remains missing.

“We can confirm that a British national has been killed in Ukraine and are supporting their family,” a spokesperson said.

The Ukrainian Defence Department created a specific unit called the International Legion for foreign fighters wishing to join the war.

Brigadier General Kyrylo Budanov, the commander of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry, which is in charge of the legion, has said that as of 7 March, more than 20,000 volunteers and veterans from 52 countries had said that they were interested in joining the battle against Russia.

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