Orange County vet who volunteered in Ukraine, endured rocket attack: 'I would do it once again'

In the dark, there was a staccato beat of sound - - a thundering, unplaceable boom. Then there was the pain, abrupt and unyielding.

Giovanni Roman was struck.

It was just before midnight on a freezing February evening in the eastern Donetsk area of Ukraine when the 29-year-old Marine veteran from Garden Grove was struck by an opponent Russian rocket while inside a Humvee on the frontlines.

The effect shattered part of Roman's skull, claimed his ideal eye, and jettisoned shrapnel into his arm and hand. In some way, Roman stayed awake.

" I've constantly believed as a man you must be willing to die for something," Roman said. "I have no problem passing away helping somebody out and helping the helpless - - which is precisely what was going on there."

The hours leading up to the attack were as normal as they could be in the embattled nation, where Roman volunteered two times as a medic and soldier.

On a second trip that started in December, Roman was offering with the International Legion of Ukraine -- stationed in the oblast, or area, annexed by Russia in September. As the only medic in his unit, Roman stated he would sometimes place IVs while fending off enemy fire.

Hours before the attack, Roman had actually booted DoorDash to send his sweetheart Valentine's Day flowers and made a call to his mom. However those were some of his only interactions back to Orange County from Donetsk, where his unit spent each night sleeping in muddy foxholes with nary a bathroom or correct meal. Temperatures regularly dipped listed below absolutely no. Often, Russian drones might be heard buzzing overhead.

As likewise alleged by Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelenskyy, Roman said white phosphorous - - a weapon banned by the Geneva Convention - - would fall from the skies, threatening to burn through flesh. The acrid odor of it still sticks around on some of his gear today, he stated.

Before the war started, Roman had never been to Europe, nor had he seen fight with the Marine Corps, which he participated 2014, not long after finishing high school. He was in third grade when 9/11 took place; from then on, he 'd wanted to be a soldier.

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Roman, a Marine Corps veteran from Orange County, on the frontlines with the Ukrainian army in the war against Russia." It didn't feel ideal that I'm over here comfortable with my health center scrubs, clean and living a good life, knowing there are civilians getting bombed," Roman said. (The invasion )occurred on a Thursday, I purchased my ticket Sunday night, and I flew out Wednesday, "Roman said.

And they're battle schools. And I was like, ‘‘ Done,' "Roman said.

Soon, Roman and a motley lot of worldwide volunteers - - one American, several Brits, a Spaniard, and a couple of Mexican males - - began their operate in a rural town, doing jobs ad hoc to avoid Kyiv, the capital, from falling. Near-constant battles punctuated their days; in some cases, weapons fire would come every 10 to 20 seconds. In three days, Roman stated he saw an entire forest leveled.

" It was so unorganized. They were taking (volunteers) and simply throwing them in the front because we're attempting to buffer the attacks with the Russians," Roman said. "I didn't consume for maybe seven days. I couldn't go to the bathroom … … We got these Ukrainian provisions, however they were frozen due to the fact that it was so cold.".

On the frontlines, Roman saw horrors. He decreases to get into specifics about what he did and experienced, but alleges that severe criminal offenses - - from rape and abuse to extrajudicial executions - - were devoted by Russian forces.

Although they were never utilized, Roman kept additional publications in his breast pocket, planning to take his life and destroy his cellular phone if he were ever caught. He feared what the Russian forces would do to an American, much less a former U.S. soldier.

Though the war was far from over, as April approached, Roman's month of paid time off was up. He 'd funded his Ukraine volunteering out-of-pocket and needed to work again. For the 2nd time, he crossed the Atlantic.

Back in Orange County, the normalcy he as soon as understood turned surreal. With but a few plane rides, Roman ran out the battlefield and back into what he called the "Orange County bubble." Inside, it seemed nobody might relate to what he 'd seen. Life brought on. Unlike a military deployment, there are no official periods of post-combat rest for volunteer soldiers.

" I literally flew back and it was right back to work the next day. I was dragging guys, putting on tourniquets while they were shouting," Roman said.

It ended up being challenging to work while he knew civilians, Ukrainian soldiers, and fellow volunteers remained in a warzone. So in December, he took a leave of absence and went back to Ukraine.

Ten months of war had actually offered Ukraine some time to improve its volunteer coordination, Roman stated. Giovanni Roman, a Marine veteran, after he was hurt while offering in Ukraine.
He informed Caceres that he thought his luck might go out sometime soon.

Then it did.

When Caceres learned what occurred, it was early morning in California.

" I felt a strong desire to go to Ukraine to help my pal," Caceres stated. "( But) I had responsibilities to my child and spouse that I couldn't overlook, and I didn't have the resources or training required to carry out a rescue mission.".

Alone in a healthcare facility bed more than 6,000 miles away, Roman said he didn't harp on the attack.

" I don't be sorry for going," he stated. "I would do it once again in a heartbeat.".

While Roman is happy no one he dealt with medically died, numerous others he understood have actually been killed. Some are amongst the signatories on the Ukrainian-American hybrid flag that now sits on the cerulean wall behind his bed. The majority of the messages are written in Ukrainian. Roman and the Ukrainian soldiers had no lingua franca aside from a few words - - the" You best "scrawled in the middle of the flag amongst them.

The flag was a gift from his colleagues-turned-friends, Roman said - - the same ones who called him "Doc" and made sure the bloodstained gear that now sits on his bedroom floor returned to him.

Resting on the edge of his bed, he surveyed the gear: a torn-up glove from the hand hit by shrapnel, a vest emblazoned with Ukrainian and american flag spots, and a helmet reading "Medic." Next to Roman sat a pile of patches, most of them keepsakes from his system, others from Russian uniforms.


< img alt= "The vest used by Giovanni Roman, a Marine Corps veteran, ... "class=" lazyload size-article_inline "data-sizes =" vehicle" data-src=" https://www.pressenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OCR-L-GIOVANNI-0423-02mr.jpg?w=620" data-srcset =" https://www.pressenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OCR-L-GIOVANNI-0423-02mr.jpg?w=620 620w, https://www.pressenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OCR-L-GIOVANNI-0423-02mr.jpg?w=780 780w, https://www.pressenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OCR-L-GIOVANNI-0423-02mr.jpg?w=810 810w, https://www.pressenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OCR-L-GIOVANNI-0423-02mr.jpg?w=1280 1280w, https://www.pressenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OCR-L-GIOVANNI-0423-02mr.jpg?w=1860 1860w "> The vest worn by Giovanni Roman, a Marine Corps veteran, who just recently offered to serve on the frontlines with the Ukrainian army in the war against Russia, on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Roman was badly hurt when the automobile he was taking a trip in was hit by a rocket, smashing his face and resulting in his losing an eye. He is now back at home in Orange County and recovering from his injuries.( Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG). < img alt=" Russian spots Giovanni Roman, a Marine Corps veteran, acquired while ..." class=" lazyload size-article_inline" data-sizes=" automobile" data-src=" https://www.pressenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OCR-L-GIOVANNI-0423-06mr.jpg?w=620" data-srcset=" https://www.pressenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OCR-L-GIOVANNI-0423-06mr.jpg?w=620 620w, https://www.pressenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OCR-L-GIOVANNI-0423-06mr.jpg?w=780 780w, https://www.pressenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OCR-L-GIOVANNI-0423-06mr.jpg?w=810 810w, https://www.pressenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OCR-L-GIOVANNI-0423-06mr.jpg?w=1280 1280w, https://www.pressenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OCR-L-GIOVANNI-0423-06mr.jpg?w=1860 1860w" > Russian spots Giovanni Roman, a Marine Corps veteran, obtained while just recently offering to serve on the frontlines with the Ukrainian army in the war versus Russia, on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. He was severely injured when the vehicle he was taking a trip in was hit by a rocket, smashing his face and leading to his losing an eye. He is now back in the house in Orange County and recovering from his injuries. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG).


He is now back at home in Orange County and recovering from his injuries.( Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG).

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These are the only items that made it back with Roman, who returned home in March. Still bloodied and bandaged, he took an industrial flight home after weeks in a Ukrainian healthcare facility that was bombed while he was still a patient. Upon arrival, his mother shuttled him to the emergency clinic.

Now, even in the apparent security of Orange County, Roman worries about his and his household's safety. He has gotten death risks from pro-Russian social media accounts, he said.

They began after Roman's social media appeared on a Russian Telegram channel calling out "Nazi activity" in Ukraine - - an unmasked concept that has its origins in Kremlin propaganda. It was only a matter of time before his face and name were out there, Roman stated, including that other volunteers, consisting of those in his system, have actually dealt with comparable doxxing.

An X-ray of Giovanni Roman, a Marine Corps veteran from Orange County, who was seriously injured when the automobile he was traveling in was hit by a rocket, smashing his face and resulting in his losing an eye while fighting on the frontlines with the Ukrainian army in the war versus Russia. Roman is now back in your home in Orange County and recuperating from his injuries. (Courtesy Giovanni Roman).
The online risks are simply one of numerous brand-new elements in Roman's post-Ukraine life.

Last week, he went to the fitness center for the first time in months. On Instagram, he's keeping a journal of his progress, for those here and in Ukraine.

Often, he gets frustrated when people do not seem to care about a war that doesn't touch them straight. Roman keeps it in, though, since as he puts it, he does not wish to stumble upon as the "stereotype of an angry veteran." Still, he can't shake the knowledge that people "similar to us" have actually lost their homeland for no excellent reason - - that even now, the war continues.

Roman has a Go Fund Me page but is still attempting to figure out how to cover his medical expenses. The discomfort sticks around, and probably will for a very long time. There are pieces of shrapnel, he stated, that will remain in him permanently.

In a few weeks, he turns 30. He doesn't yet know what his career will look like moving on, and what the new shape of his life will be.

With his imagine becoming a firefighter relatively dashed, some days he thinks about going to nursing school.

And on others, for a quick minute, he considers returning to Ukraine.