A U.S. Army veteran from Wisconsin died on Feb. 16 while fighting on the front lines in Ukraine, the veteran’s father told Wisconsin Public Radio.
Andrew Peters, 28, was serving as a member of the International Legion of the Defense of Ukraine when he was killed at an unspecified location, his father John Peters told WPR. A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed the veteran’s death in a conversation with the family.
Peters, an Army infantry veteran who enlisted out of high school in 2012 and deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, had been with the International Legion since November, arriving in the war-torn country after Thanksgiving with his own body armor and tactical gear in tow, the report said.
“He felt his time of service was not over,” John Peters wrote in an email to WPR. “He felt the need to use his prior military combat skills to help the Ukrainian people fight and liberate their country.”
Proficient in several languages, including Russian and Ukrainian, the 28-year-old was described by his father as “extremely close to his fellow soldiers” and “well liked by everyone.”
“Andrew had a strong sense of what was right and wrong,” Peters said. “We are all extremely proud of his bravery and selfless sacrifice.”
Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv are currently coordinating with Peters’ family to have his remains brought home, the report said.
Peters is at least the seventh U.S. veteran to have died fighting in Ukraine, according to the State Department. Former Navy SEAL Daniel W. Swift was killed during a January operation in Bakhmut after a rocket-propelled grenade exploded near his position.
The U.S. government continues to discourage Americans from traveling to join the fight in Ukraine.
J.D. Simkins is the executive editor of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.
