Relatives say former US Marine killed combating in Ukraine

A former US Marine was killed alongside Ukrainian forces within the conflict with Russia, his family advised information shops in what’s the primary recognized demise of an American citizen combating in Ukraine.

Rebecca Cabrera advised CNN her 22-year-old son, Willy Joseph Cancel, was killed Monday whereas working for a navy contracting firm that despatched him to Ukraine. Cancel had lately labored as a corrections officer in Tennessee and had beforehand served within the Marines from 2017-21.

Cabrera stated her son had signed as much as work with the personal navy contractor shortly earlier than combating started in Ukraine on Feb. 24. She advised CNN he agreed to go to Ukraine.

“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,” she stated.

Cabrera stated her son’s physique has not been discovered.

“They haven’t found his body,” she stated. “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.” She stated her son flew to Poland on March 12 and entered Ukraine shortly after. She stated he was combating alongside males from a lot of international locations.

Cancel labored at a non-public jail in Tennessee from May 2021 till January, stated Matthew Davio, a spokesman for the personal jail firm CoreCivic. The Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, a medium safety facility, is about an hour northeast of Nashville.

“As a correctional officer, Mr. Cancel served his state and his community by helping maintain a safe, secure environment where inmates can participate in life-changing reentry programs. We are grateful for his service and saddened by his loss,” Davio stated in a press release.

While within the Marines, Cancel served as a rifleman and was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was given a foul conduct discharge after he was convicted of violating a lawful common order, Marine Corps spokesperson Maj. Jim Stenger stated.

He had no conflict zone deployments, Stenger stated. No different particulars on the unhealthy conduct conviction had been offered.

The US has not confirmed the reviews of Cancel’s demise. On Friday, the State Department stated it was conscious of the reviews and is “closely monitoring the situation” however couldn’t remark additional “due to privacy considerations”. “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,” the State Department stated.

Cancel’s widow, Brittany Cancel, advised Fox News he leaves behind a younger son and that she sees her husband as a hero.

“My husband did die in Ukraine,” Brittany Cancel stated. “He went there wanting to help people, he had always felt that that was his main mission in life.” She stated her husband volunteered to go to Ukraine but additionally had aspirations of turning into a police officer or firefighter.

“He had dreams and aspirations of being a police officer or joining FDNY,” she advised Fox. “Naturally when he found out about what was happening in Ukraine, he was eager to volunteer.” Tens of hundreds of Ukrainians are believed to have died within the conflict. Other noncombatants from the US have been killed, together with a documentary filmmaker killed when his car got here underneath hearth at a checkpoint and a person killed whereas he was ready in a bread line.