A leap into the unknown: a British man joins the Ukrainian International Legion
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- Опубліковано 8 бер 2022
- A friend of mine told me that he was off to Ukraine to do "his duty". I thought it a good idea to record his reasons to go. Here is my interview with him as he waited to board his flight out.
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When I read the title, I thought for a second that you were grabbing your sabatons and heading East.
Best of luck to your friend. I hope he stays safe.
@@okay8136 no ukranian has done that either.
@@okay8136 what was that supposed to mean?
@@okay8136 ok schizo
Yeah that's a horrible idea. Going to a country you know nothing about to get killed or captured as a foreign soldier. All the risk, no reward.
@@Alimentasable well, you get to brag a lot if you survived, and it seems like the adventure on itself is a reward for this madlad
Just seen part 2. 8 months later. November. Im ex British Army. He comes across as grounded man and thankfully not a walter mitty. Wish him and his comrades safe passage in future.
Sorry, American. Can you explain the reference?
@@Indeterminite The reference is from an American book.
@@Indeterminite ref secret life of Walter Mitty. About a fanciful man who daydreams all sorts of fanciful and impractical roles for himself, e.g. decorated fighter pilot, wealthy gambler, world renowned fashion designer, etc
@Stanly Stud you stole what I was gonna say- even the 🔔end! 😁😂😂
@Stanly Stud total stab wanna be- but he was a cadet! So he's bullet proof!! 😂😂😂😂
"War should be fought by the middle aged not the young" That's a quote that is true and perceptive as is a lot of this guys reasoning. Yes I have also seen Part 2
Alternative for Ukrainians is Russian filtration camps with mobile crematoriums(like were in Mariupol) in whole Ukraine = lots of dead ...
Ukrainians choose not to surrender to tortures by Russian terrorists who target civilians.
@@anzelmasmatutis2500 Ukraine torture prisoners of war not russia
No...war should be fought by the politicians that cause it.
Different thoughts to Vlad - he will take almost anyone.
War should be fought by the unarmed and barenaked children of those who come up with an idea of waging it onto others, had always been my personal opinion.
Came here from his return interview. He seems like such a genuine, good guy. We need more like him out there in the world.
I did the same thing... I love his attitude "Slept with a lot of attractive women." I am so anti-smoking but I love Joe's attitude on cigarettes.
Same
Unfortunately he will be dead. Good riddance anyways.
I too am coming from his return video.
I would like to imagine that the British Empire was created by people like him (referring to his attitude). He has nerves of steel.
Ha! We need more British mercenaries that are a part of US foreign policy?
What a lark.
For the people worried that he will "simply be getting in the way", There are many roles volunteers can fulfil, not necessarily in a combat role. This will also free up other people who are more qualified for other roles.
Yeah for sure so many logistic challenges in a war zone.
Exactly! Every man who isn't busy driving a truck or directing traffic is one who can fight at the front!
Ukraine is flat out rejecting people who have no combat training, have never used guns etc.
They’re not blindly letting in cannon fodder and people who’d just get in the way regardless.
As a famous Polish WW2 song says:
"Deckers behind the line,
commissariat, various martyrs,
they cook soup, black coffee -
and thus they fight for the cause"
People who say that just hate that the word Is against Putin
He's right about the attitude of Poles, altough I don't think he took into account that he might be too drunk to go any further because every person he'll meet in Poland will want to buy him at least a beer.
Pffff, beer is for any old traveller.
Those who fight Russians get the special bimber or granny's nalewka
@@DaBsolja I don't know what any of that liquor is but that just makes it more enticing
Wiśniówka babuni 🤤
@@DaBsolja Yeah, especially near the eastern border ;)
@@blakelowrey9620 bimber it's 80-90% moonshine and nalewka is 60% heavy dense homemade booze with strong fruit flavours. You literally don't feel alcohol in taste, but after drinking too much you got worst hangover of your life.
Have just found Joseph’s channel, BigMacs Battle Blogs. Really interesting to see where he is now and what he is up to. This interview is a real slice of history giving the initial thoughts before committing to the unknown. Great work. Well done.
Amazing! I just listened to your follow up interview with him. Love his attitude and bravado. Hats off and may he keep safe on all his travels!
Had a fucking heart attack when I saw the title, I could not deal with losing Lindy.
They should put him in charge of some sort of tactics division.
Imagine the things he would be able to achieve as a proper British Officer!
@@chunkymonkey55555 He should tell the officers to not duck!
@@ggrasten :)
@@0ia :)
6:30
" It should be fought by the middle aged not the young."
That hit a little harder for me. For a few different reasons but made me think of the book 'Old Man's war' with a similar philosophy behind it.
Unfortunately for the young, they make the most durable combatants.
@@reallyhappenings5597 Are they really? The best operators in special forces are all in their late 30s. It takes time to condition and teach a soldier to do his job with the maximum effectiveness.
@@jakubprzybylski6670 The best are in their 30's because they started at 16.
@@reallyhappenings5597 most enthusiastic and least opinionated, I'm sure.
There is this quite famous quote that I had to think of when I read your comment: "Peace is when sons bury their fathers, War is when fathers bury their sons" it is a cruel time, that's for sure
He looks as if he is not a stranger to basic living off the land and knows what clothes he will need in the conditions. God be with him during and after this war.
Except he knows jacks all about geopolitics and believes in nonsense
@@quadriceps8831 like you are any better
@Stanly Stud well I hate the rapist wankers, so that would make sense.
Nobody needs to save the world from Russia, the world would be a more safer place without US UK NATO EU, does he know who orchestreted the Maidan coup? Does he know Minsk 1&2 was only to give the Ukros time to build up their military, Merkel told it now,did he know Ukraine made war on Donbass since 2014 with killing the last 8year about 19000 civilians including many Kids. I would never let him one of my wounded soldiers give treatment in any form.lt's a long training to handle war wounded right and who needed to treat first
@@semperfidelis3432 I just read 102 word long paragraph of absolute bullshit.
I did something like this a few years back. Known a few guys that went to Mariupol years ago. Unless you want experience fighting against a conventional army i would recommend not going. This isn't Iraq not Afghanistan.
Yeah, people tend to not realize that they might not even have a fighting chance, one second you're somewhere, another second your lying down on the floor with the world around you exploding, and then you're gone. You're not fighting goat herders, even someone from the west with experience will certainly never have gone through something as difficult and violent as this.
@@Tiagos360 Just read an article of this exact thing happening.
Foreign fighters base was attacked and quite a few have decided to leave.
Apparently they are also being asked to sign a contract which means they have to stay in Ukraine for the duration or Martial law.
A couple were beaten up as suspected Russian spies.
They're signing up to be cannon fodder.
I don't see how it's any more random or dangerous. More people on both sides, fancier weapons, same shit. Just more everything, on both sides. Also, "home team advantage" is massive.
@@Tiger74147 the biggest difference I see compared to the guys working with the Kurds is the lack of USAF support, more armor/indirect, more competence and 8 years of Russians watching what has been happening in the DPR/LPR.
“War is sweet to those who have no experience of it. But the experienced man trembles exceedingly in his heart at its approach.”
Godspeed, Joseph.
@@caramia6681 Wow. I bet that made you feel good inside huh.
True that
Sure joining Ukrainian mercenary and killing Chechen muslim are not going to take effect long term, if this out of control it will ignite global jihad especially if any muslim Chechen being treated unfairly.Maajid Nawaz already warn British government this will happen, i blame Boris Johnson for this.
@@yudhiadhyatmikosiswono9082 "Chechen muslim never called me a white supremacist terrorist in my own homeland."
@@BakkuIa hope your family knows soon
This has happened in the past. A chap I knew from Leeds went out to fight during the
war in the former Yugoslavia. He now lives with his wife and children in Croatia.
Let's hope this dude has a similarly positive outcome
Probably why he is leaving for Ukraine. A man that probably has very little in the UK. Not married, no kids, no career, basically a wasted life. If he survives this thing, he'll stay and I'm sure, will get married. A second start, earned by carrying a rifle. In UK he is noone, in Ukraine, he is a novelty, probably a hero of the people. Chicks dig that.
@Nikola Nedeljkovic is that something meaningful?
Going somewhere with lower standards and being seen as great
I would hate that more than being nobody
@@TheAlison1456 But what else has he got left? In the UK, he is basically no one. He earns basically nothing, he is almost 40 now. No (normal) woman in UK will marry him. In Ukraine, he'll be able to get 90% of the girls he wants. And let's not fool ourselves with the sentiment that it isn't about women/family. That's the base of every man's life, and he hasn't got that base. He sounds a bit unrealistic and (honestly) limited in his views and thoughts. Not the brightest of the bunch.
As for that "Going somewhere with lower standards and being seen as great" part, I've been thinking about it a lot. Always asked people a question "Would you rather be the worst of the best, an average among the average, or the best of the worst". It's an interesting thought. Some people would take only the best, without a compromise, while others would be ok with lesser options, if given a chance. I'd hate to compromise tbh, it's either the top, or nothing at all.
That would feel great to any men in the same position, it's a hell of a reason to fight a war, I definitely would.
This is amazing thank you so much. I don't know how to send you a link but because you were my main inspiration for creating a UA-cam account I wanted to "tag" you in my vedio about the difference between weapons and tools. This post you made is extremely important and shows that you really take time to make sure you know exactly what you're talking about
Came back here from the Brit returns videos.... this bloke jeez nothing but respect...
A good interview, no leading questions so we get to hear his full thoughts.
I hope Lindy can talk to more people, whether before they leave or after they return.
100 percent correct! Very good interview.
Hopefully he waits until after they return, that way we wont have to listen to sheep who graze on Propaganda and swallow every syllable, uncritically, to the point they're actually slaughtering other human Beings on the strength of it.
He's already dead. Read RT X'D
"after they return"; foreign mercenaries are being housed separately and are prime targets for shelling. Ukrainian nationals understandably treat them with suspicion. Far from "digging latrines" and "helping in hospitals", they are being used as cannon fodder on the front lines. Plenty of evidence for this, including personal accounts, on the forums.
@@cyranodebergerac6587 Yep, spot on. The Russians claiming 135 as of yesterday 14th when they hit a NATO mercenary training base. Apparently Ukraine is now importing Jihadist Mercenaries from Syria ! Probably to build more Latrines . .
The subdued melancholy in Lloyd's voice is heartbreaking.
That fellow sounds like a solid chap. Here's hoping he has a real adventure over there, but comes back home to have many more. I'll buy him a pint if i ever bump into him, and he can tell me all about his travels.
Sounds like a fool. Imagine fighting to defend the corrupt pig Zalenski.
@@TS10852 yeah should've expected pro putin bootlickers in the comments
Great interview, thank you for sharing
Just so people understand, it is a extremely violent and extremely dangerous shooting war, if you go there seeking a few selfies and some instagram clout you are gonna have a bad time. If you go there and expect you may die within a week then it's probably more accurate.
I think everyone going fully understands what a war is.
@@dreadengineer No they really do not, at all. Look up all the articles of people going there then complaining it's "too dangerous" or "The Ukranians just gave us a rifle and shipped us to the front it was too scary" im not even joking, social media junkies are going their expecting to play soldier on CoD or something and are shocked to find only death. So no people do not know what war is, not anymore, but they will learn.
8 hours is the life expectancy of a paratrooper in battle, well within a week.
@@dreadengineer I think you might be surprised.
I don't understand why British people are in such a hurry to die for National Socialist?
@@allanlarmour7460 Ukraine is not run by nazis; that is a ridiculous lie that Putin is using as a thin pretext for his imperialism. There is a reason Putin has shut down all independent media in your country-- try to read news from independent sources, preferably in countries that don't have a 15-year prison term for reporting forbidden facts.
Having listened to his comments, he sounds like he's walking into this with eyes open. There was no vibe that he was expecting to win the war single-handed. Best of luck to him, and hope to listen to his post-conflict interview(s).
"Eyes open" ? Hahaha. Joseph has failed to find a life of value, and seeks adventure in killing other people to make life "interesting". He has no concept that those who fight wars are pawns of super rich and evil people on both sides. We know how racist Ukraine society is, and the charge that they are deeply fascist is a charge with credibility. So Joseph may find he has signed up to fight for the Nazis. And you approve....
Anyone who knows what’s going on in Ukraine would not fight in that war for the US-installed, neonazi-dominated coup regime & its neonazi-infested military.
He sounds like he feels like he has nothing to live for and wants to make a glorious sacrifice. He clearly knows nothing about the conflict. Tanks have been fighting tanks for years in the Donbas as Ukrainian government tries to ethnically cleanse Russians from their ancestral homes. He probably doesn't even know the US staged 2 coups in 2004 and 2014, or that the current president imprisoned his opposition last year and shut down newspapers.
@@RubbittTheBruise well said.
@@RubbittTheBruise he clearly stated that he would rather save lives than take them. Ukraine is also not fascist, that’s a load of bs, also there is a difference between fascists and nazis, different ideology.
Yes there is fascists and nazis in Ukraine, there is people of these beliefs in literally every country.
Interesting reasoning for him going, and it also seems like he was looking for something like this to do. I hope the best for him, but I do fear the worst. Good luck to this man, and I hope that his life can continue being adventurous.
He'll have a right old adventure. Hope he makes it through. Hope he doesn't have to kill anyone. Hope ukraine holds it together.
@@The_Gallowglass fascinating listening from N. Illinois🤔 and this channel looks interesting too😉
@@lectrikdog I'm from Chicago m8
@@The_Gallowglass An adventure? getting shredded by a russian 30mm autocannon is sure a great adventure. You guys are parroting early '900 recruitment propaganda. This is not an adventure, war, and especially this kind of war, is insanity.
@@ganjacomo2005 hey what people look for and what they get are often two different things. Adventure doesn't always mean sunshine and rainbows.
See Lindybeige‘s latests video for an update. He’s back and well
Glad to hear that.
He is probably not coming back...
At around 8 minutes in he talks of a private landlord throwing him out. If this is one of his motivations for going to the Ukraine, that landlord may well have blood on his hands.
@@carolebarker2195 not really, I don't go chasing glory with zero combat training after getting evicted.
I do the logical thing and get a new fuckin place lmao
@@imightbearacist6613 Lol! Yeah, you've got a point. However, it could have been one thing that sent him over the edge, straw that broke the camel's back type of thing. He does seem to be a bit of an impulsive guy anyway though, from what he was saying. Zero combat training, exactly! Punching someone while working as a bouncer doesn't really cut it, does it?!
@@carolebarker2195 well if he survived the hell hole that was the missile strikes at Lviv, he probably won't survive the Russians on the Kiev outskirts, lots of volunteers have already been killed there and some reddit volunteers are being sent to fight even though they signed for medical roles, if he wanted to off himself, he got what he wanted
@@carolebarker2195 f**ng tenuous!!! landlord evicts you (might be because he's an assh ole. . oh, it's the landlords fault I'm a junkie, the landlord's fault I'm alcoholic, landlord's fault I died in Ukraine)
A historian documenting things as they happen. Interesting.
These are strange times indeed
The best historians are often those who record current events. Just look at the Roman historians. The information they dug up about times long past is usually worthless but the information they documented on their own time period/slightly before is the best info we have on the subject
historians are usually the ones recording the present when historical events happen. they know the value of the knowledge and how best to store it for reflection by the people of the future, as they have done themselves by people of the past.
things in this war are extreeeemmmmely interesting alright, as is the gentleman being interviewed. I wish him well.
The line between historian and journalist isn’t a clear one.
This is indeed a great document of the time. And also timeless, in that almost everything in his background, circumstances, and attitude could characterize any number of volunteers for foreign wars over the decades and centuries.
It's a suicide note
@@DJRockford83 Precisely. Mr. Bowman is right though in that most of those who volunteered for such "escapades" acted on such impulses. Few survived.
Would really appreciate a follow up interview on this. Where is he? What happened?
Up
"Follow up". This is a load of nonsense. He's plugging the pro-jewish, anti-white agenda.
Up
One thing is for sure, this guy isn't fighting anymore. He's either dead or realized what his purpose was in this war and left Ukraine.
nibba he ded
Amazing video Lindy!
You know Lloyd is serious when he is wearing a shirt that isn’t beige, with his collars down and not rounded.
By Jove you're right!
Some serious sht going down
I remember the video he made explaining how he made all his shirts look the same because people were trying to call him out on it, nice to see that someone else remembers his shirt preference
I wondered about that. Thank you.
He's dyed his hair jet black as well!
"Leaving this world is not as scary as it sounds". Hopefully the guy makes it through.
“The world is a fine place and worth fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.”
I checked to see if that quote was attributed to anything besides Hotline Miami 2's ending, but can't find anything conclusive. Not sure it was meant to be a reference to that, but it's an interesting connection.
@@Rehteal Is this dying? Is this all? Is this what I feared when I prayed against a hard death? Oh, I can bear this! I can bear this!
- Cotton Mather, American puritan minister, his last words
He will change his mind if he sees combat.
@@BlacksmithBets have you found it scary to leave this world? Was it during combat?
Perhaps he was slightly naive but, after watching the rest of the series I have to say that I have nothing but respect and admiration for this guy. No matter whether his intentions were ill founded, he stood up and took responsibility for what believed in. So much so that he decided it was so intense as to stake his life, and protect the young and aspiring. The way he analyses the intricate problems with Soviet doctrine and the inefficiencies of the military, and his ability to articulate the various horrors and circumstances of battle; he is an intelligent man despite seeming a little rough on the outside. He gives us a glimpse in a man’s spirit and his inner most thoughts. Thank you for taking the courage to step out and take action.
Also just seen the three videos after he came back. Happy he made it back! ❤
I hope you have watched ALL of Joe’s follow up videos here on this channel. He got Lyme disease and was sent home to recover for a while. Then he went back to Ukraine, trained as an FPV drone pilot, and is now working on a very active part of the front line. You can keep up with him at his own UA-cam channel, Big Mac Battle Blog.
My... he is actually my cousin-in-law, a couple of years younger than me, but I can't think of him as less than an elder brother now - well, he went to war. He is an Ukrainian, has a degree in herpetology - he loved catching snakes from the very young age - but had to switch to busiyness long ago. Even went to Mexico, where he managed to start his busyness without even knowing Spanish. Going to Tijuana for a busyness trip - he did it.
For him, though, it was clear what is going to happen. He joined the army before the conflict has even started. He is, in many ways, like your friend: mid-30s, no family, travelled a lot.
I personally can't leave my family. I have no military experience whatsoever. And all the health bonuses you get after a chemotherapy. But half of all the money we've been sparing for the future life is in the Ukraine now. Because Freedom is a good investment, even if this investment was deemed to fail.
There are so many ways of helping that are just as important. That financial support is something I think you can be proud of once this is all over.
Derpetology
Ukraine have won even if they loose.
They have stand firm against the giant for days.
None of the high politicians have emptied the State
treasury, they haven't even fled the country.
They all stand firm and will do so even to the end.
The men of Ukraine try their damndest to get their women and children to safety and not the other way around.
So even if the country falls the people have shown the world what it means to be a good citizen.
And in the end that is the only thing that matters really.
How does your cousin-in-law feel about Ukraine violating the Geneva Convention?
He is very great guy
Interesting. I hope there'll be a second interview after the war.
@@zeed33r and now? If you are so sure about the Ukrain losing, then why do you think this war will go on for long. Also, losing is not the same as getting everyone involved killed.
@@zeed33r 1 in 5 German U-boat sailors survived ww2.
@@zeed33r sad but true. idealists always die first.
@@zeed33r Britain was once at the losing side of WWII.
Wars are dynamic things, and you said yourself we're only at the beginning of it. You and I have no idea(and can't possibly) what's gonna happen until it's over. For all we know, NATO could be in it with boots on the ground tomorrow and turn the tides. Putin could have a stroke or be assassinated at anytime.
Not to mention that like someone else pointed out, just because a country loses a war doesn't mean everyone that fought for it dies. By your logic the Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler friendship after the war should've been impossible because Germany lost so Stigler must've died, right?
@@zeed33r 5 Russian bots agree with you
So grateful to Joseph! I hope you stay safe and this madness will end at some point. I also applaud and completely share your stance on the balance of power. And as we can now see - very accurate reasoning with China and Taiwan.
I saw this after watching 3 of your return interview with him. I'm glad your friend came back alive.
Always irks me, when people talk about wars in Europe, and have seemingly completely forgotten about the fall of yugoslavia.
He mentioned kosovo, but ignored the preceding war. Yugoslav's wars most definitely had tanks, sieges, and shellings of cities. It's an absolutely horrific recent war that should not be forgotten, yet so many people talk about there being no major conflict in Europe since WW2.
Still though, props to your mate for going there. Wishing him the best of luck
Lot of my friends families fled from Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia during that time. I grew up around a lot of balkan people in Chicago. Milosevic was a rotter wasn't he.
Yogoslavia was big but not as big as this
In my opinion there is a difference to yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia was not an invasion.
In a way it was a civil war.
And no I don‘t want to say yugoslavia wasn‘t bad. I have friends who were german soldiers in the area of former yugoslavia during this time and from their stories I can tell, that it was much worse than it is in the conscience of the normal german people.
except he was likely a child then...
@shurdi,
People _should_ say there's not been a major conflict in Europe _between countries._
There's _absolutely_ been ethnic conflicts and civil wars, or protests/rebellions being brutally repressed (Hungary 1956).
But those are not wars between industrialized nation-states (aka invasions).
However, most people aren't nerds who study political science 🤓😅
Please do more interviews as often as he can do we can get real info on what's actually happening on the front.
That would probably be a MASSIVE security risk to the Foreign Division, unfortunately
(I'd be interested too, but not as much as Russian military intelligence)
@@MrNicoJac Well only if he uploads or gives the info to others it would be right?
Especially with the foreign legion. It's like all we know is that it's unreasonably large which might be all that is to know at this point. Either way I haven't heard anything about what they are actually going to do. Might have something to do with assigning manpower that wasn't originally accounted for.
No, it’s just too much of a risk.
Can only hope he’ll return to share his experiences once this war is over.
@@MrNicoJac I mean with 0 actual tactical or strategic details. No locations, battles, strategies for anything like that. More like: have y'all captured any Russians, how informed are they? Is their tech really as bad as we've been hearing? Are things escalating? How often are civilians being targeted?
Many blessings to your friend dude. Best of luck. I hope he brings you many stories when all this is over.
Anyone seen that video of that American guy who was saying that they have no guns, no gear and the guys with guns have like 10 rounds and the Ukrainians were threatening to shoot them if they leave, I'd say do your homework before going if anyone is thinking of that, you may not be a high speed legionnaire operator, you're more likely going to be thrown in a meat grinder
Speaking as a former infantryman with 3 combat tours done I hope he doesn’t get sent to fight and that he does some sort of logistics role, it takes a long time to get your shit together as a infantryman and able to see the combat indicators how to move how to act how to survive and not be a liability to others around u but I wish him luck and respect him
Yeah, I really hope these guys don't end up like McNamara's Morons.
Didn’t you hear that he picked mushrooms and hunted pigs?????
@@TheUltimateWriterNZ he also has some basic training, smart guy
@@Beauweir How's that gonna help when his unit gets captured, the Russians take any Ukrainians as POWs and force march the foreign fighters into the woods were they are to be summarily executed for being illegal mercenaries? It's already happening.
@@ramblingimbecile2295 Executing foreign POW's in the woods as standard would be counter productive for Russia. Apart from the Russian troops & officers risking life imprisonment it would also see Ukrainian carrying out revenge killings of Russian POW's.
More likely foreign POW's would be shipped off to Russia and jailed for a looooooong time following a show trial.
Lindybeige: Please, if possible, make updates on this story.
@@edgar3937 It is just a PR stunt on the part of the NATO oriented policy. It is not fighters Ukraine needs. Westerners are intoxicated with a false narrative that prevents YOU from coming to terms with reality. I feel deeply sorry for guys like this one, and hopes he makes it back.
@@edgar3937 Notice, please, that given the destructive power the Russians posses, they have tip-toed into Ukraine, rather than annhilited it. Why?... Because they are nice people? Surely not. Because they have to live with Ukrainians as neighbours
@@edgar3937 we already have thousands of European volunteers fighting here in Ukraine. It has nothing to do with provoking NATO
Reality is going to hit this Walt like a ton of bricks. I do hope he makes it home though.
He didn't.
@@togarnis8096 That's a genuine shame, although not surprising.
@@togarnis8096 source?
@@togarnis8096 what happened?
Just listened to this: ua-cam.com/video/aQMNw3DtMDM/v-deo.html
These interviews are a treasure. Keep up the good work.
It sounds as if Arthur Dent decided to go to the front lines. "Well, I can make sandwiches"
Love the reference. Anyone saying Arthur Dent makes me happy. A time and a feeling we took for granted. Now the Sham 69 "cockney ripoff" seems more fitting.
I'm a retard. I meant just "ripoff" ua-cam.com/video/1CWJWcd7qJs/v-deo.html
Laurie Lee the author and poet was in Spain before the second world war, and saw the devastation of the Spanish civil war. When he got back to Blighty he turned around and joined the International Brigade. He survived the war. Let's hope your friend survives too and lives to tell us all about it.
Laurie Lee's "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning" is a wonderful book everyone should read. I wonder if the book Lloyd is reading might be Hemingway's "For Whom The Bell Tolls" as he mentioned it's about a man who goes to fight in the Spanish Civil War; also an absolute must read. Hope Lloyd's friend will be alright.
@@morningstar9233 I absolutely agree. Cider With Rosie, and Midsummer are wonderful books. A Moment of War is a harder read because of, well, war. But I recommend the biographical trilogy to everyone.
George Orwell too.
Yeah, but international brigades in the Spanish civil war fought against fascism, this CIA organized gangs are supporting AZOV Nazis.
@@slobodankostadinovic8860 There is only one Nazi in this war and that is Shitcan or Poo-tin to his friends.
I don't agree with his decision necessarily either, but I appreciate your decision to document his decision as a historian. Thanks!
Hope he's alright, just saw/heard the foreign Legion training base got artillery striked today. Looked pretty bad.
This video was the first thing I thought of when I heard about that. Sorry about your friend, Mr Beige. Although, considering Ukrainians were using the foreigners as cannon fodder, I don't think he would've come back alive either way.
Edit: I made other comments on this thread, but youtube can't handle truth.
Liked comment even though I support Russians. I hope he just left Ukraine for good.
Hope we get a followup
@@aleksandrkinyaev6703 how the fuck do you support the russians?
@@johntheidiot9046 looks like he is russian himself, and probably as most of them support the invasion
You documented an important piece of what will surely become history. Thank you.
Give me a break ...
@@bob-wo3ir is he overworking you?
Agreed with you, @overestimatedforesight, lindy has marked time by posting this video. Provided a perspective of another volunteer in Ukraine. I don’t think it is virtue signaling. It is clearly not meant that way, and even if it was true- Lindy still framed the video as such.
A document.
@@caramia6681 Of course this is different, because it's much closer to us. Russia has always been a threat to Europe, and now they've invaded a country that's not many hundred miles from where I live. You can't compare what happened between the US and Somalia with this, this is far closer both geographically and politically.
@@Newnawn NATO is the threat to Russia. Expanding without any sense to stop, from decades on end.
And I say this as an European. We are increasingly on the wrong side of history, the end of an empire that pushed the world forward
Lindybeige is an excellent interviewer.
Anything else is just a man's story which he gave him the chance to tell. Respect.
Thank you for doing this interview, and I would love to hear any updates on this fellow as thing progress. Hopefully he comes through all of this.
It does sound like he has a good head on his shoulders and isn't having any visions of grandeur with regards to combat. If he can support from behind the lines, or free up someone with combat experience, he could be quite useful in this conflict.
He died a pointless death a few days after the interview.
useful in the conflict? the more people pile in the more people get to die. it's like throwing kindling on a fire. ...
I hope your friend will be safe. Thanks for this "little" story of a great man!
The last time tank clashed with tank in Europe was in the Croatian/Bosnian war in the '90s (1991 - 1995).
If, as I hear, there are thousands of foreign volunteers in the Ukraine, he'll more than likely end up with a British unit , and they'll use him as they see fit; which means they'll take his training and experience into account.
If there truly is an organised foreign volunteer's organisation, then they'll assess his knowledge and abilities, train him on local weapons, etc, and bring him up to requirements before going on line with him. They won't want to be in danger with someone not capable of pulling his own weight, that could easily get them, or worse their mates, killed.
They won't be trained. Other volunteers have confirmed that.
The international legion needs to be integrated into a Ukrainian unit. It needs to be integrated into the regular army and follow their regulations if it's going to be of any hope. Typically foreigners are sent to do the worst jobs with the highest casualties or highest percentage of war crimes. They shouldn't be segregated from the regulars.
@@Emanon...
The training doesn't come from the army, it's done by the other volunteers. Just the same as it was done here in Croatia.
@@awhowell
Typically foreigners are sent to do the worst jobs with the highest percentage of . . . war crimes?
The International Legion is, in all practicality, little more than a name on paper right about now; and it's more than likely still being worked out, including how it will be integrated into the Ukrainian defences.
Westerners fight best alongside westerners! And they'll be most effective if they are organised according to that philosophy.
Former professional soldiers from the US, Canada, Britain, Australia, France, Germany, etc., are able to organise themselves and work together well, even taking into account language difficulties, but western soldiers can lose their heads when trying to work with and alongside Eastern Europeans in a military conflict.
When I came to Croatia, I was looking for the fabled International Brigade - it didn't exist!
The International Brigade only existed in the Newspapers, in propaganda, and in Combat and Survival (a copy of which I had in my hand - with the Zagreb address for the (non-existent) International Brigade included in the article about foreign volunteers in Croatia).
The reason I wanted to join the International Brigade was that they were, according to Combat and Survival, offering refresher training, training on local weapons and tactics, and I'd be fighting as part of a group of like-minded foreigners that would include professional soldiers.
When I joined my first unit I was the only foreigner in a Croatian unit. I was taught how to strip, clean, and reassemble a Kalashnikov. Seven o'clock the next morning we were headed to the front line. The unit I was in lead two hundred line soldiers into no man's land on an offensive.
@@nigsbalchin226 I don't think Croatians , or any paramilitary/irregular outfit during the Yugoslavian civil war, is anything to strive for.
The main issue is problematic as well.
People were prohibited and prosecuted in their home country if they wanted to go fight against Assad in Syria, but Putin is somehow different?
I really hope he's going to be ok and wish him all the best!
Please keep us informed :)
Very interesting interview. Please keep us updated on him
Some of the most interesting content I have ever seen on youtube.
This is a video when I first found out about your videos I never would have expected to one day find on this channel.
I wish your friend the very best, and I hope we see him back real soon in good health.
Thank you for this video. I have known Jo for a couple of years after working with him and sharing a drinking hole in Bristol, having not spoken to him in a while this video was both a surprise and also kind of not. This mash up of watching a channel I've been subed to for years and news of someone I saw nearly everyday not that long ago has made the world feel very small.
I hope to have the oportunity to have a pint with him again one day
saw a news interview with him in Poland. He met up with some US Marines and dropped a badass line. Good to see this interview with him sounding like he's fairly understanding of what he's going to end up going into: hell on earth.
@@zfolwick he seems very nieve tbh. The way he talks about bouncing I feel like he's not doing it for the right reasons. Talking about saving lives and stopping girls bring raped like he did definitely gives vibes that he wants to do it to make himself a someone. If he wasn't able to hack infantry training then he should not be going over to fight, he'll be a liability if he sees combat. There's a reason why basic training weeds out people like him unfortunately.
@@BlacksmithBets There are non-combat roles you know? He even mentions in the video being a stretcher bearer
@@BlacksmithBets he seems naive?? Of course he's naive. He's just like every other person who's first time to the show. He sounds just like me. Diminishing the role of non-infantry people is stupid. And frankly, it speaks volumes to his character that he'd go up against a huge army with leaders ok with wasting lives with little training. It also speaks volumes to your character that you have the audacity to judge from behind your keyboard the men and women like him who put themselves on the line to protect the weak.
This interview was his suicide note how can so many people not see it?!
SEND IN THE REDDITORS
Just dropped in looking for an update.
Very thought-provoking interview. The English language has this idiom: I fear the worst. Which kind of describes how I feel for him, but contemplating it I do not know what the worst actually is in this situation, as he seems to be aware of the risks and he still willingly participates, which I think it means he is willing to pay the ultimate price to make a difference in this conflict. I hope he does not have to pay it. But I also hope that he will be able to make a difference. I guess the worst is if both happens... But if that is the case, this interview may be the best insurance against that outcome, as he already influenced all of us with his heavy decision, and who knows maybe that will tip the scales.
Open-mindedness is not going to last long for a grunt on the battlefield. The WW1 and WW2 generation were highly educated and went into a buzzsaw, punished for it.
The worst might not even be his death - he could be left with huge psychological scars that can turn people like him into the opposite that they were before. From the attitude you see in this video to maybe someone that constantly feel helpless. I've seen it happen to other people but it affects each person differently (if at all).
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth a war, is much worse. When a people are used as mere human instruments for firing cannon or thrusting bayonets, in the service and for the selfish purposes of a master, such war degrades a people. A war to protect other human beings against tyrannical injustice; a war to give victory to their own ideas of right and good, and which is their own war, carried on for an honest purpose by their free choice-is often the means of their regeneration. A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. As long as justice and injustice have not terminated their ever-renewing fight for ascendancy in the affairs of mankind, human beings must be willing, when need is, to do battle for the one against the other."
-John Stuart Mill, writing about the union cause in the American Civil War
(A bit odd since the Union employed a draft for the first time in American history, but in the case of Lindy's friend the line about "a war to give victory to their own ideas of right and good, and which is their own war, carried on for an honest purpose by their free choice" is 100% true)
@@AlexanderRM1000 Bit surprised to see the famous philosopher talking about the American Civil War.
What's interesting about the ACW is how many diaries we are left with, personal accounts by soldiers and generals and ordinary people, and how there was so much variance there was on it. Here is another account from someone who actually fought in that war:
"I’ve been where you are now and I know just how you feel. It’s entirely natural that there should beat in the breast of every one of you a hope and desire that some day you can use the skill you have acquired here.
Suppress it! You don’t know the horrible aspects of war. I’ve been through two wars and I know. I’ve seen cities and homes in ashes. I’ve seen thousands of men lying on the ground, their dead faces looking up at the skies. I tell you, war is Hell!" - William Tecumseh Sherman
The worst as *I* see it would be for Ukraine to be an effective repeat of Spain in the 1930s, where politics eventually scuppered the International Brigade.
Christ, he away with less experience than me and I passed out in the TA lol. Good luck m8. You're gonna need it.
Do we have any updates yet? I’ve been checking this comment section quite frequently to see if there has been any news but so far I haven’t found any.
I’ve not seen his photo appear in any articles of captures Brits so it seems unlikely he is captured or dead.
Did he go? Did he turn away last moment due to the pleas of his family? Is he still over there? Any update would be good.
The Russians have reports how many people from which country came to fight, how many have down how many have returned, they seem to know an awful lot about foreign fighters, but so far they haven't released names of those killed or those who have returned
Prolly home or dead by now since the reddit army got bombed in their base camp because they leaked their location for reddit gold
Update now, on the channel.
I hope you have watched Joe’s follow up videos here on this channel. He got Lyme disease and was sent home to recover for a while. Then he went back to Ukraine, trained as an FPV drone pilot, and is now working on a very active part of the front line. You can keep up with him at his own UA-cam channel, Big Mac Battle Blog.
@@SalyLuz-hc6he yes, thank fully I have kept up with him throughout. Thanks for the heads up!
Poor guy seems like hes chasing glory in a last hoorah... Chucked out by landlord, no mrs... think if he survives it, it might slap him clear of his depression
Yes, Karl, unfortunately his lack of self-worth is very apparent, isn't it? Poor guy.
Either that, or he'll come home, read the comments section here expecting to be hailed a hero and find out, in fact, that Lindybeige has sold him up the river for the clicks and cash and that a not ungoodly chunk of the people whom he expected to validate him in fact thing he is a complete cockhead.
Exactly what I thought
@@mousesoup5169 I agree with the rest of what you said except the part about Lindybeige selling him up the river, how so? The guy wanted to tell his story, all lindy did was let him talk, he didn't encourage him or anything, just asked him questions, I don't see anything wrong with that.
@@rocketsocks3116 Unless Lindy is an absolute fool, he could plainly see he had a psychologically distressed man looking for attention and validation. He exploited him for 30 pieces of UA-cam silver
I was wondering what kind of person would leave his country to fight in this war. I think Ive found the major differences between him and me. He thinks of himself as adventurous, moral and having lived a fullfilled life. I think of myself as to cautious, pragmatic and having far to much things I still want to do.
We all have our roles - war needs warriors but it also needs people who support the whole infrastructure to supply the warriors. If we all went to war - who would make the weapons, who would make food and fuel.
No. He feels he has nothing in life, no career, no family, no girlfriend and little money. He wants his life to have meaning. He saw media propaganda and decided to risk his life in a battle of good versus evil. But the war he's fighting is a farce and his motivations are primarily selfish. He knows nothing of the region or the conflict, yet decides it's worth dying for. It's all just sad.
@@deaftonormies5117 It is good versus evil. Or maybe for you bombing hospitals with children in them is "good"...
@@andrzej2501 Why didn't he go and join the Iraqi insurgency? The US has openly bombed weddings and hospitals, and yet you don't see many Americans or Brits taking up arms. The comment you replied to didn't say he thought bombing hospitals was good, which by the way could have been hit by a Ukrainian missile. Friendly fire often happens in war.
@@caramia6681 When US military did something wrong the criticism was harsh, public and was not quashed like in Russia. So please stop channeling Radio Erewan (those old sketches parodying methods of Soviet propaganda). Are you just an ignorant or a willing Putin's agent?
Thank you for the interview with your friend. Your concern was clear, yet you maintained a level of impartiality that most professional reporters can't even conceive. I hope your friend can return safely and soon.
It reminds me of Thukydides:"At the time, there were great numbers of young men who had never been in a war and were consequently far from unwilling to join in this one."
He's (Joe aka Big Mac) one hell of a young man. Hope to see you do an update with him now that June of 2024 is upon us. I was pleasantly surprised to see (listen to) this, your first interview with Joe. Thank you to the entire Lindybeige team. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦🔱💪🚜🌻🍉✊🤙
He does seem to be quite aware of what he's getting himself into, but at the same time there's a heavy taste of naivety in what he said. I also get the feeling he's looking for meaning in life.
Things like not being able to afford a complete set of combat fatigues.
But he's gone now, and that's that. I hope he survives and is a help rather than a hinderance.
If he finds his purpose in life to defend a free peoples from the tyranny of a dictator hell-bent on genocide for the restoration of past empire or some ill-conceived legacy, then he'll live and die a better man than most of us.
I flinched at first when Loyd said how he'd needed to sacrifice to get his military kit but a US Soldier carries about 17k worth of gear on him all up. Night vision goggles, for instance, cost thousands and if he's calling himself a medic then a first aid kit can cost up to anything.
They didn't mention any expensive gear and I agree with the general sentiment that he didn't have a notable career or family but if he dies in the place of a young man who will have those things then his death can mean more than his life did. I think that's what he's hoping.
The Ukrainian embassy vets applicants, they have rejected people who'd be a liability so they see benefit in his involvement.
@@FreedomIII Well importantly he'll have to die _believing_ that since, I'm sorry, but there are no "good" guys in this conflict ( _especially_ not the US corporate empire who has been fostering this for decades since the end of the USSR in '91, more on that in a second). Despite Putin using it as a pretense to invade, there's a pretty enormous grain of truth to the fact that Ukrainian nationalist identity is rooted in an ideological project concerned with purifying the Ukrainian blood line (as always with nationalism, absurd and arbitrary pretty much on its face but nonetheless descriptively accurate, a convenient fiction cultivated since like Westphalia to maintain/legitimize spheres of royal and/or bourgeois rule despite being, you know, entirely made up) with historical roots in literal nazism, and as such paramilitaries like the Right Sector, Azov Battalion, Svoboda Party, C14, et al. are pretty openly neo-nazi/nazi adjacent (really any kind of nationalism is rooted in this definition of its identity _against_ an other so this type of demographic scapegoating of one arbitrary social class is inevitably going to lead to atrocity if cultivated). Now of course, these kinds of nationalist alignments exist in Russia as well and are cultivated by Putin's nationalism, but such groups in Russia don't have anywhere near the amount of power and influence that they do in Ukraine, particularly exerted through the paramilitary detachments (as opposed to their corresponding political parties) and this is specifically because of the US influence as it benefits the neoconservative thanatos march to "regime change" Moscow to secure continued global hegemony with a parallel objective of strip-mining remaining state assets for privatization and individual profit as was done in the neoliberal sell-off of the former USSR in the 90s with Yeltsin drunkenly leading the "yanks to the rescue" (referencing a famous TIME mag cover of this), creating the regional oligarchs basically overnight and reducing life expectancy of the entire population by the greatest amount since such metrics started being recorded.
They're technically a minority sure, as is the usual response to this (if circumstantially unaware of the situation I'm only basically sketching out and receiving Manichean/Straussian narrative from corporate media), but these self-described fascist forces have an outsized influence as the US funds/arms them to the tune of billions, 2.5 billion was the last figure _before_ the shit hit the fan if I recall (obviously way more has been approved as of a few days ago, something like 6 or 8 billion I forget), and of course the fact that they have a deep ideological commitment to a historically rooted ultranationalism that can be seen/traced pretty clearly in the figure of Stepan Bandera (uncoincidentally declared a "hero of Ukraine" by the outgoing Yushchenko gov't in 2010 immediately before the more pro-Russian Yanukovych gov't took power; just a small symbolic seed fomenting the eventual maidan coup sponsored by the US which ushered in Arseniy Yatseniuk to oust Yanukovych, more on the geopolitical aspect of this in a second) who greeted the nazis with open arms and actively participated in pogroms/massacres against jews/poles to the point where even the nazis were reportedly like, "woah, chill out dude" lol (sorry if this is offensive to anyone, not intentional, quite the opposite intention hopefully obvious as all this stuff is grotesque). The point being these are definitively _not_ liberals lol...they have a very specific ontological/ideological lens and goal.
Which is all to say one doesn't have to "believe Putin's propaganda" to recognize that his actions here, though condemnable for sure, are _far_ from spontaneous or unprovoked, pretty much the opposite, including a dense history of Ukraine itself as the "borderlands" (the word "Ukraine" literally means this, Russia itself founded in Kyiv in like the 9th century or something before this "edge" breaks away as a result of various contingent events, mostly fights between Germany/Austria-Hungarian empire and Russian empire prior to USSR, Lenin giving Ukraine, largely symbolic but a first-step, an official independence - I mention this because Putin has and blames Lenin/Stalin for this). These claims are grounded in material reality unfortunately, and particularly revealing (since its inherently immune to misinformation from either side, similarly wikileaks has a few cables revealing how known this has been for decades, also see John Mearsheimer who has been screaming this was coming for decades as well) I would suggest people go listen to Victoria Nuland's leaked call to the Ukrainian ambassador during the '14 maidan uhh..."revolution" (I would say coup as though it starts with peaceful demonstrations it ends with an unconstitutional ousting of Yanukovych and is backed by the US/regional oligarchs aligned with the west, as the sniper insanity/this phone call reveals), where she tells the ambassador "f*** the EU" (the only thing the corporate media focused on of course, to misdirect from the more revealing/damning elements of US domination over this entire region, I would say at least) and "magically" picks the next Ukrainian president installed to replace Yanukovych _before_ the Right Sector and other fascist paramilitary even arrive in maidan. She says, _“I don’t think Klitsch_ [Vitaly Klitschko] _should go into government… I think Yats_ [Arseniy Yatseniuk] _is the guy…“_
The immediate issue was whether to accept a loan from the International Monetary Fund which was going to require a 40% increase in natural gas bills or to accept a loan from Russia with the inclusion of cheap oil and gas. The opposition wanted the Yanukovych government to take the EU/IMF loan. The opposition was comprised of different factions, undeniably including the neo-Nazi Svoboda Party and Right Sector, but right there is where it all connects to financial empire of the US, the IMF/World Bank are essentially the financial tentacles of US corporate empire worldwide.
This is the same "regime change"/color revolution operational template and there's a huge historical precedent of this publicly available so don't take my word for it (look up any and/or all of the -SS 2.0 for transnational corporate/financial capital- CIA's "regime change" history and a very clear pattern emerges, even before the 20th century though the founding of the US was very explicitly aspiring to become a global superpower that demanded respect, particularly from its former British overlords) Comparable to Operation Cyclone for example (with roots stemming back to like Operation Gladio in Italy, explicitly - though covertly - directing fascist paramilitary ostensibly "in case of Soviet invasion" but in outcome toward manufacturing consent toward maintaining the current capitalist social order ie stoking public fear through spectacles of terrorism; see the "years of lead" in Italy, shit is nuts honestly and was only revealed indirectly through the Vatican banking crisis in the 80s and an independent investigation into the mysterious "suicide" of 'God's banker' found hanged under some bridge in London with rocks filling his pockets), in the late 70s/80s before/after/during the Saur revolution in Afghanistan, the CIA funded/trained the Salafi-jihadist mujahideen separatists to, in the words of Zbigniew Brzezinski its cold-warrior architect, "give the USSR its own Vietnam", that insurgent faction later fractures into Al Qaeda and the Taliban..."oops"
Of course, it's only "oops" if one assumes a particular publicly stated goal is the intention. If we ask the _only_ political question of cui bono? (who benefits?) shocker, as usual, the military industrial complex. "Funny" how this black hole "defense" budget gets passed for our 1,000+ military bases globally which implicitly/explicitly enforce our global corporate empire (financial domination passively maintained through the Bretton-Woods international financial system the US imposed post-WWII with leverage of being the only nation-state _not_ bombed to shit, taking the imperial baton from the British and their pound sterling much to their chagrin), meanwhile we can't even pass a modest domestic spending bill..."funny" that.
Sorry for the book here lol, but uhh yeah "naïve" sure as hell sums it up lol...how this dude clearly didn't think to even for a second question the reality provided to him on a silver platter (existence _precedes_ essence afterall) before literally risking his life for the purported values of such a façade (in spite of their pretty obviously nebulous and nonexistent definitions, ie "freedom" and "democracy" - freedom and democracy _for whom_ and for what purpose, under capitalism "liberal democracy" = bourgeois dictatorship via class domination, class being _material_ interests and thus an objectively grounded heuristic toward accurately describing a "mode of production"s functionality) speaks well to the cultural hegemony and propaganda of "the west" and its ubiquitously accepted palimpsest of flattened history that narrows even imagining any other way the world could be. But of course...
_"The ultimate hidden truth of the world is that it is something we make and could just as easily make differently."_ - the late great David Graeber
No coincidence the world is the way it is, socialism or [continued] barbarism.
Try and show a bit more positivity toward a man who is offering his life and limb for what he believes in. While you just carry on binge watching UA-cam.
I pray that he stays safe, this whole war is just so sad. Just like every war.
If he is lucky, he will not have his throat cut by one of the Neo-Nazi militias fighting for so-called freedom and democracy. All of this patriotism, and nationalism, is just a tool to get useful idiots to die for corrupt billionaires who want to destroy your freedom
@@khaccanhle1930 You have no idea what you are talking about.
if wishing worked there would be no war
@@stocktonjoans If wishing worked, Zelensky wouldn't have been installed by the maiden coup.
It's not the war he thinks he's going into.
Since there wasnt an update I hope he came back alive and just doesnt want to share what has happened.
Doesn't want to share his disappointment. Like seeing reprisals against civilians, torture and execution of captured soldiers, a complete mess and theft in supplies from the west, army officers with nazi tattoos and many other things which could change his mind that he's fighting there for freedom and life.
Two months later... June-8th-2022... do we know anything about this very nice fella?
He seems like a classic British Eccentric - the type that went head hunting in Borneo.
No family or wife, lived a life of adventure, a set of moral principles about the application of Violence and a conviction of what Freedom, responsibility and Duty truly mean.
Well done that man.
He's as mad as a bag full of badgers! Clearly depressed.
@@cashandcurry3792 I don't know if he's depressed or not, I'd certainly agree that he's in search of meaning in his life - and he thinks that fighting against a tyrant will give him that.
Really? Sounds like an attention seeking tosser to me.
@@MajesticDemonLord He clearly is. Just hear what he's saying , he thinks himself worthless as he's unmarried.
I sincerely hope there is tons of future updates on this (Meaning he's surviving while helping in Ukraine) until the conflict ends. Thanks for interviewing him for us, sir, and Godspeed, Joseph.
@@caramia6681 ua-cam.com/video/sv13s5JmvS4/v-deo.html God bless Yemen!
Basically Lindy friend are joining as Ukrainian mercenaries and i don't think this is a good idea especially when a muslim Chechen fighting in Russia side. If anything goes wrong it will ignite global jihad.
@@yudhiadhyatmikosiswono9082 well for mercenaries geneva convention dosnt count, so if they surrender they just get a bullet in the head
@@caramia6681 Yemen and Ukraine both need help but in Ukraine it's a lot easier for a random British man to stumble into the situation and pick the right side to fight for, since it's a clear case where there was peace and a stable government and a tyrant decided he wanted to wage a war of expansion instead, rather than ethnic tensions involving thousands of years of history- including previous attempts by the British to help- and various powers backing both sides. You can say one side or the other is the clear villains (Saudi Arabia is pretty evil certainly) but I'm not sure all British men would agree on *which* side and foreign volunteers would just end up fighting each other.
@@yudhiadhyatmikosiswono9082 Good luck with that. The "global jihadists" are far too busy squabbling, fighting and killing each other to get anywhere near taking on the free world.
Thank from Ukraine for this guy, hope he will survive this life challenge. Very smart men, he just hero!
This is just mental.
The best point I've heard about this was made by a Ukrainian officer: By all means join, but only if you have some usable experience.
Extra rookies clogging up the bases is bad for morale and coordination, and there are only so many windows in Kyiv.
Anyone can join the Ukrainian IT Army, and participate in the online war effort.
Let's fucking hope Kiev doesn't turn into Stalingrad
@@Half_Finis a Stalingrad style resistance is what the Ukrainians are hoping for. Unfortunately I believe the Russians will decimate the city with bombing runs and artillery. The destruction caused to other cities we have seen so far is nothing compared to what is to come. I only hope all women and children have evacuated the city by then.
@@JeremyJohnson413 Unfortunately I believe the Russians will use the same methods of war used in Syria. After an initial blitz does not work they'll glass cities with bombs and starve out the population for a long time before moving any troops inside to occupy.
The majority of most armies never fire a shot. Almost half of any army is involved in support and logistics. Being willing to drive a van, fill magazines or cook food is part of fighting a war as much as chucking grenades or driving a tank.
I must admit I was a bit worried where you were going with this, but as usual, your pure class shines through as you carefully ensure we get what you're trying to do. 100% in favour of you documenting this and your comments regarding you not encouraging everyone to do this.
Lindy helped kill his friend just to get views and upvotes.
His historical knowledge means that he is fully aware of war hysteria, war propaganda and the complicated history of Eastern Europe and NATO expansion.
He could have told his friend and saved his life... he didn't even try.
Just made a silly video (which will probably be taken down soon anyway).
@@togarnis8096 have to disagree personally
@@togarnis8096 I assume you think that anything lindy would've said could have changed the guys mind? I also assume that all of us here know the horrors of war and abhor it, that doesn't change his friends right to fight and die for a cause he believes in
@@vardito10 Lindy knows about war propaganda... he knows about "Huns" killing nuns.
He knows about "Huns" bayoneting babies.
He knows about "Huns" rendering human fat in "corpse factories".
He knows about "Huns" gassing hundreds of thousands of Serbs in murder chambers.
He knows about "Huns" crucifying Allied Soldiers.
He even knows about "the Angels of Mons".
He didn't tell his "friend" about these things.
Lindy chose, deliberately, to help kill his "friend" for upvotes, views and subscribers.
@@vardito10 I mean his friend saying how he'd like to do certain things once he's in Ukraine shows how naive he is about war. You don't get liberties like choosing to work in a hospital safe behind lines.
Seems like Lindy is taking the same attitude towards providing updates on this chap as he is on his comic book.
That does not bode well
I can't believe so many people spent money on that.
Where is Hannibal ?
No real experience, going into a hot zone. Not trying to be mean, but that's some hero complex and apparently a serious lack of apurpose in life. Well, lets hope for the best, but it sounds bonkers AF.
@@mullac90again Sadly I think they're one of the few people being honest in this comments section.
Good on your friend for wanting to help.
As a note-- in the last 4 days, President Zelensky and the Defense Attache staff at Ukrainian Embassies and Consulates have clarified that volunteer applicants for the International Legion Defense Force must have Military background with preference to actual combat experience (also applies to Defense/ Security Contractors and prior Paramilitary personnel), advanced Law Enforcement background, or advanced Medic training. There is a small percentage without this experience that are being approved and admitted for other logistical and support roles, but those are the clarified requirements otherwise.
It is a 6-step process to apply to the ILDF (Ukrainian MOD has posted a video about it on their youtube page), and they will provide contacts/ liaisons to link up with once at the Ukrainian border.
As your buddy said, you will have to provide most of your own kit apart from a weapon and ammunition, and the plane/ train travel is on your own dime.
Anyone who meets the qualifying criteria and is interested in going, contact the Ukrainian Embassy in your country and ask to talk to the Defense Attache. I'll also note that their Embassy in the US has been inundated with calls and applications and are quite backed up responding to inquiries and processing said applications (something to the tune of 3 to 4 thousand so far). Be patient.
If anyone would like to support Ukraine's efforts otherwise, they are obviously taking monetary donations through a myriad of support and aid organizations apart from the direct special account for the Ukrainian military, but are also accepting all iotas of Medical equipment and components, Military uniforms and boots to include ballistic components/ body armor and helmets, multi-tools, and shelf-stable food especially MRE's and Freeze-dried camping meals.
All the best to your friend, hope he stays safe.
Thanks for the details!
Yea for a lot of people, the best thing they could do is pick up extra shifts and donate the money.
@@Joesolo13 Yep.
@@myronalcock4716 Very welcome.
@@Joesolo13 No. They're sending billions of dollars to Ukraine already from your tax wallets. Don't donate your minimum wage salaries with gas prices and inflation the way they are lol. Volunteers are going to have more weapons and gear then they know what to do with, the problem is planes and air support.
Reminds me of the time when men would join the French Foreign Legion or join the Spanish Civil War for some meaning or direction in their life. I wish him well in his journey and safe return home.
I'd definitely do it, if possibly
Maybe i'm wrong but this didn't sound to me like a man looking for meaning or direction. He explained his values and his willingness to risk everything for it. In a poetic sense maybe a man who already knew his meaning and direction and this was the time when he found the right cause to put everything in line for it. Either way sounds like a legend who has more determination and courage than most, including me. All the strength to Joseph and Слава Україні!
@@SJ-ik8zr He 100% sounded like a guy looking for meaning and direction.
Your friend got smoked for some updoots
"take my gold dear sir"
"thanks for the lead kind stranger"
Have you heard from him Lindy?
Mores to the point, why haven't we heard fron Lindy?
As someone with relatives in Taiwan, and as a fellow believer in the importance of defending democracy, I give heartfelt thanks.
he will be about as useful as viagra in a nunnery
Taiwan isn't defending democracy.
You should go, and try and get them to form a foreign legion before it is too late
Ukraine has a land border, all of the ROC’s land borders are controlled by the reds
@@kristoffer3000 they are far more than Ukraine is
Ukraine and Russia are fighting over land
Taiwan is defending democracy from communism and everything is at stake
What democracy? Corrupt Ukrainian oligarchs? Corrupt US Globalists? Corrupt Russian dictator?
As an Ukrainian man currently being stuck in the UK, I don't have enough words to thank all who answered the distress call. The support from the people of all ages and cultures is incredibly strong. The horrors of the war that are currently unfolding fill me with a mixture of anger and despair. I can't just watch my people die, so I will go home soon.
Thank you! Let's push the authorities to do something other than lighting up the buildings in blue and yellow
No, lets not. Go back to the Ukraine and sort your own problems out, it doesn't concern the UK and we owe you nothing
@@colderwar interesting choise of words. Your goverment has signet the budapest memorandum. In it you, the US and Russia are guaranteeing the safty and structural intagrety of Ukrain in excange to them giving up they're nukes.
Your country is activly betraying them right now .
@@colderwar its not a question of responsibility or not. no, the problem does not affect us currently, but there are people in the world who could sympathise with the situation. Russia, the country with the largest military is attacking Ukraine indiscriminately. many feel that this is not right, which is why people volunteer to go help.
its like helping your friend out of a trouble, you have no business snooping around with whatever hes doing, but you still help them out because their your friend
@@merkymurk7534 The Ukrainians aren't my friends though. Neither are the Russians.
Their problems should not be our concern in the UK
@@Wavesurfer5928 I didn't sign any memoranda and I haven't been to Budapest
It doesn't matter how handy you are with your fists, it will do nothing against artillery.
He agrees in the latest update. Artillary is .....scary ....and many were killed . He was not .
This is your brain on Reddit
just say no
Praying for your friend and the others who are going with him. Hope to see him home safely with stories to tell.
A lot of people volunteering have no idea what they're in for. Not only that but as opposed to those who join their nation's military there won't be any external support network in place if/when they come home. i.g. therapy, rehabilitation for injuries etc.
I think that he just looks for a higher purpose in life or a hill to die. He was considering to fight for the Kurds before. I think that he suffers from depression, not idealism.
@@joek600 I can give him a much better outlet for depression. Work on us who've had to learn to walk again. Lot of joy in helping a man/woman face to face. He can fuck off with his romanticism, makes him a liability in the shit.
@@ScrappyXGC I used to work as a realistic prosthesis artist for some time and I totally agree with you. He could do some good instead of inserting himself in a conflict he knows nothing about and end up killing someone who had been forced to be there. In the end (if he survives) he will still be a failure but this time with bloody hands and conscience.
Any updates on how the lad is doing?
Any news?
I don't get the logic he uses when he cites EU and NATO involvement... Does he realise that if NATO and the EU are directly involved in conflict it's game over? China's domination if it were to happen would be the least of our worries.
It's a conversation.
People don't get to say things in the way they might think best.
He probably doesn't literally believe that logical sequence word for word, step by step, it just came out that way.
@@TheAlison1456 I take your point about it being a conversation, but I would have hopes that the thoughts behind his motivation were clearly thought through. Especially given the potential consequences of his actions for both him and others. I'm not the best articulating things on the spot, with the exception of those things I have thought hard about. On those occasions where I have been confident about my rationale, but later found myself to have been wrong or mistaken, it has usually been because of lack of research or thinking things through thoroughly or even just not having access to pertinent information. I've also seen this in others. I would suggest this chap possibly falls into that camp too.
I hope it was just a Mis-speak, rather than not having thought it through, I believe his intentions are good and wish him well.
I can relate to his romantic notions of freedom. God bless him and those that follow his path. I have to respect anyone who does more than just talk the talk. Hopefully, things work out and he is able to help some people out.
In the modern world, freedom means never having to say you're sorry.
You know, for bombing, torturing, crucifying, and ethnically cleansing the citizens of breakaway regions after your Nazi coup supported by the West.
@@murecerickman Who are you to evaluate how fit another person is based on 15 minutes of audio?
Literally going to war over NATO propaganda, imagine that. Imagine heading out to fight alongside NAZIs.
His idealistic views are being exploited by propagandists.
You'd hope that people would be more resistant to their efforts but alas.
@@SWAT6809 have you listened to the guy speak? He could be the poster child for self-absorbedness
I watched this vid when you first released it and thought how good it was to document this. Have you heard anything from your friend since then?
He’s dead
I hope you have watched Joe’s follow up videos here on this channel. He got Lyme disease and was sent home to recover for a while. Then he went back to Ukraine, trained as an FPV drone pilot, and is now working on a very active part of the front line. You can keep up with him at his own UA-cam channel, Big Mac Battle Blog.
does anyone know this guys full name? trying to find if he's still alive or not.
Yeah trying to find it aswell.
I saw some comments saying he’s dead, but no sources. I really want to know his status
He used to live in Germany , France and Spain, now he's going over the hills and far away.
40 shillings on the drum, for those that volunteer to come, live a fight another day, over the hills and far away.
Through Flanders, Portugal and Spain perhaps?
Queen Elizabeth order and we'll obey?
The status of that UK law about not fighting for foreign powers (Foreign Enlistment Act 1870) appears to be that it's currently in force but not going to be enforced - the UK government has basically gave a thumbs up/look the other way approach. It's possibly going to cause problems down the line if it actually leads to a legal case or another case in a different conflict zone emerges, but no successful prosecution has happened in about 116 years.
Didn't the Queen of Denmark give her people the greenlight to volunteer unhindered? I thought I read something about that a few days ago.
Germany will judge on a case by case bases
Yeah I thought there was a law like this. Thank you for elaborating.
Does that apply if they are given citizenship? it is my understanding that they are granting citizenship and residence in Ukraine, so technically they are fighting a local war.
It seems the act talks about commissions and enlistments, if you are a volunteer and do not get paid it may be a get out. Not sure about following orders and if any papers are signed or contracts entered that may be against this very very old act.
looks like he did a "brave sir robin"
EDIT ! 30th Nov 2022 , i feel i have a duty to publicly take back this comment , this man is much braver than me , a true Brit and he has represented us with more courage than some fully trained regular soldiers it seems , i apologise for my assumptions
Can you update on your friend?
No news IS news.
Read between the lines.
He's dead.