Who is Paul Grey? Texas veteran joins Zelenskyy's army to teach them to fight Russians
Paul Grey, a former Texas infantryman who served in Iraq on three tours is now teaching Ukrainians to fight the Russians. He served in the 101st Airborne Division and was a Purple Heart recipient. Paul told Fox News on March 2, "Ukrainians remind me a lot of my home state of Texas. They are fiercely independent. We have cowboys. They have cossacks." Paul, a native of Tyler, Texas, went to Kyiv a year ago to operate a gym and is now training troops to protect the nation. He explained, "I'm fighting to defend my home and their home here. I'm teaching them what I can, in as little time as I can, to help give them a chance to survive this invasion and slaughter by Russians."
He added, “It’s my whole obligation since living here in Ukraine. These are some of the best people in the world. They’re the best, as good as any of our friends and allies of America, and I love this country and when this invasion started I considered it my obligation to stand up and defend these people. This is their 1776. This is the fight of their generation and they’re not going to let this moment pass without fighting into the end, and it’s just extremely inspiring to see this. A lot of young Ukrainians are the first generation of independence in their country. Something their families and people have wanted for centuries. So it’s not something they are obligated to do, but they want to do it.” Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed for foreign fighters to come and join his country's efforts in handling the Russian invasion.
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Paul's mother, Jan, told Fox, that his gym had closed three weeks ago and that he had opted to stay in the country. She stated, "It's his individual choice to make those types of decisions, and I can only pray and support." His mother stated that she had faith in his son to make the best decision. She remarked, "They do hear the bombings that are taking place. There is a video of him outside. People are going in and out and taking shelter. I don't know if he was able to go out and see all the devastation in the surrounding areas." She also said her son and his friends were alerted of the invasion weeks in advance, and that Paul and his friends, who have military expertise, had been assisting others. He was prepared by storing up on supplies, withdrawing funds from banks, and preparing for an imminent invasion.
Foreigners willing to defend Ukraine and world order as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, I invite you to contact foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine in your respective countries. Together we defeated Hitler, and we will defeat Putin, too.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) February 27, 2022
Earlier, six American special ops joined Ukraine’s fight against Putin's soldiers, in response to President Zelenskyy's call for help. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine tweeted from his official Twitter account, “Foreigners willing to defend Ukraine and world order as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, I invite you to contact foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine in your respective countries. Together we defeated Hitler, and we will defeat Putin, too.” It is not illegal for a citizen of the United States to join a foreign legion. However, if someone is hired while still in the United States, there may have been a violation. None of the foreign fighters, according to Paul, are in it for the money. He explained to Fox, “We don't get compensated. We are not mercenaries in any way. We're not in this for personal benefit.”