Owensboro native Frank “Russ” Tate is currently working with Aerial Recovery, a group in Ukraine aiding in the recovery of several children who reside in orphanages displaced by the war. Tate is a 2001 graduate of Apollo High School and hopes his hometown can aid the group’s efforts by considering donations.
The Aerial Recovery Group team is on the ground at the Poland-Ukraine border to set up refugee camps and assist those fleeing from the crisis in Ukraine. The group’s primary mission will be to safeguard, evacuate, and foster as many of the thousands of Ukrainian orphans as possible.
As part of Mission Ukraine Orphan Rescue, the Nashville-based nonprofit is sending a group of U.S. military special operations veterans into the heat of the battle to rescue the orphaned children. Tate was one of those veterans. After spending a week in Ukraine, he just returned home to begin exporting medical supplies and equipment to the mission.
“As a father and husband, I could not sit idly by and listen to story after story of children stranded in a war zone,” Tate said. “God opened a door for me to make a difference, and I jumped at the chance. Leaving my three children and my wonderful wife to walk into an unknown situation in another country weighed heavily on my heart, but their support of the mission strengthened my resolve.”
Tate spent 10 years in the Navy before beginning his successful career as a community and economic developer. He’s forever grateful for the many experiences that have helped shape him on his many journeys.
The mission is expected to take 30 days, but experts say the mass exodus of hundreds of thousands attempting to cross the border will significantly lengthen the process. The group of 5-10 will collaborate with other non-government organizations to locate the orphanages and safely transport the children and anyone else who isn’t physically able to move themselves west of the border.
“The Aerial Recovery Group Team has made a huge impact as every stage of the crisis unfolds, and I am humbled to have the opportunity to help,” Tate said. “To see a community shattered so profoundly spoke to me, deeply. The way the Ukrainians united together to protect each other and the land they love is something we can all take a lesson from. As a professional and a patriot, I felt compelled to act.”
To learn more or make a donation to the cause, click here.
