An American citizen and Marine veteran, Willy Joseph Cancel, died fighting alongside Ukrainian forces in Ukraine, the man's widow confirmed to Fox News Digital. He's survived by his wife and 7-month-old son.
An American citizen and Marine veteran, Willy Joseph Cancel, died fighting alongside Ukrainian forces in"My husband did die in Ukraine," Brittany Cancel, the widow of the 22-year-old Marine veteran, told Fox News Digital. "He went there wanting to help people, he had always felt that that was his main mission in life."
Cancel leaves behind his wife and a 7-month-old son. He appears to be the first U.S. citizen to die while fighting alongside Ukrainians in Ukraine. "My husband was very brave and a hero," Cancel said. "I did not expect to be a widow at 23 years old or for our son to be without a father. All I want is for him to come home, and to give him the proper burial he deserves."
The Marine veteran signed up to work for a private military contracting company on top of his full-time job as a corrections officer shortly before the war in Ukraine broke out at the end of February, Willy Cancel's mother, Rebecca Cabrera, told CNN. After the war began, the company asked for contractors to fight in Ukraine and Cancel agreed to go, the mother said. Cabrera did not respond to Fox News' request for comment.
"Prior to wanting to help the effort in Ukraine, he was a detention officer in Kentucky," the widow told Fox News. "He had dreams and aspirations of being a police officer or joining FDNY. Naturally when he found out about what was happening in Ukraine he was eager to volunteer."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Efforts underway to find body of former Marine reportedly killed in UkraineA 22-year-old former U.S. Marine died on Monday while fighting alongside the Ukrainian army, reports say.
Read more »
'Mass marine extinction' by 2300 if global heating continuesUnder 'business as usual' warming, marine ecosystems could see mass extinction comparable to that of end-Permian extinction, known as the 'Great Dying', which occurred 250 million years ago, scientists say.
Read more »
Fossils of giant marine reptiles found high in the Swiss AlpsFossils from some of the largest creatures ever to swim Earth's oceans - whale-sized marine reptiles called ichthyosaurs - have been found in a counterintuitive place: atop three mountains in the Swiss Alps up to 8,990 feet (2,740 meters) above sea level.
Read more »
Former US Marine Trevor Reed touches down at JBSA-Lackland following Russia imprisonmentReed touched down at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland just before 12:30 a.m. Thursday
Read more »
Singapore’s Keppel, SembCorp Marine Merging To Create World’s Biggest Oil-Rig BuilderA unit of conglomerate Keppel Corp. and Sembcorp Marine—both controlled by Singapore state-linked investment firm Temasek—have agreed to merge to create the world’s largest builder of oil rigs.
Read more »
Marine from Texas Trevor Reed freed from Russia as part of prisoner exchangeRussia released Trevor Reed, a Marine from Texas who was arrested in 2019 when Russian authorities said he assaulted an officer.
Read more »