Local Air Force veteran Mark J. Lindquist leaves for Warsaw Monday. He has applied for Ukraine’s foreign legion, and — if not accepted as a fighter — plans to deliver supplies into the war-ravaged nation and ferry refugees out. (Photo/Nancy Hanson.)

Moorhead man heads to Ukraine on humanitarian mission

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

Like the rest of us, Mark Lindquist was riveted to his TV at home in Moorhead as Russian troops attacked Ukraine, turning its cities into rubble. He grieved for the innocents whose lives are being crushed, their homes destroyed, their futures stripped bare, their peaceful lives shattered.

But helplessness is not one of his gifts. When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy broadcast his plea for freedom-loving people around the globe to rise to his nation’s defense, Lindquist answered. He called the Ukrainian Embassy in Chicago and, 10 minutes later, began filling out the application to join the Territorial Defense, its hastily assembled legion of foreign volunteer fighters.

“It was like hearing ‘Reveille,’” he says now. “I told myself, this is my own ‘greatest generation’ moment. This is my chance to make a difference.”

His resolve has only grown since then as his plans have come together. “I’m not going to sit on my couch and tweet,” he says. “I have to be there, to do whatever good I can.”

He remembers watching a Youtube video posted by a British military veteran after Zelenskyy’s cry for help. “The guy was in his 40s. He was physically able. He wasn’t married, had no children, had a flexible job,” Mark remembers. “I looked at him and thought, ‘That guy is me. I am going!’”

Hours later, he was booking a ticket to fly to Kyiv, ordering deployment gear from Amazon, and steeling himself to tell his parents: Since then, those plans have been amended, but are just as bold. For one thing, commercial flights to Kyiv have been suspended, so he’s heading for Poland. He boards a jet at Hector Airport Monday to fly to Warsaw by way of New York and Amsterdam. Once there, he’ll meet up with other international volunteers and reach out to the Ukrainians with whom he’s already communicating online.

The next step? He’ll find out when he gets there.

Lindquist, just turning 40, completed his hitch in the U.S. Air Force in 2012. Since then, he has carved out a stellar reputation as a motivational speaker, his corporate clients including McDonald’s, Walmart, Starbucks and IBM. His tenor voice has drawn rave reviews since his last year in the Air Force when he performed USO shows; since then, he has made a name singing the “Star Spangled Banner” at the start of major sporting events all over the country.

He took on his freshman campaign for public office last summer, when he announced he was running for the 7th District congressional seat now held by Michelle Fischbach. Now, though, he has set all that aside. “I still want the job, but I can’t even think about that now,” he confirms. “How can you worry about a political campaign when your neighbor’s house is burning?”

While he forges ahead on his mission, countless questions remain. “I really don’t know what comes next,” the Ortonville, Minnesota, native confesses. The clearest path forward will be if he is accepted as a member of the Territorial Defense. Like most of the veterans who have swamped the Ukrainian Embassy with applications for the last month, he has yet to hear the outcome. If it’s affirmative, he will be sent his orders on where to report.

“But I don’t know if they’ll take me,” he concedes. “I was deployed to Afghanistan for a time, but I don’t have direct combat experience.” He spent most of his time in the service as an intelligence analyst at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. “Whether or not they take me as a fighter, I know I will be able to do something. I can organize humanitarian relief. I can deliver supplies wherever they’re needed, then ferry refugees out of the country. No matter what, there will be ways in which I can help.”

The prospects represent an enormous departure from his own tightly disciplined military experience, where recruits were told where to go, what to do and when to do it. Without firm direction at this point, he plans to meet up with an Air Force buddy in Warsaw, then determine where their help is needed. He has already connected with a network of like-minded volunteers via social media. “Veterans all over the world are hearing the call,” he says. At a recent visit to the Fargo Air Museum, another veteran walked up and told him, “Let me know when you’re going. I might come along.”

He has already booked Airbnb accommodations in Warsaw: “It’s so weird – going to war and staying in a BnB!” The host has assured him there’s plenty of room, so he plans to go to a train station and find two refugees who will welcome a hot shower and a couple of good nights of sleep.

Once on the ground in Europe, Mark’s first step, he says, will be to buy a van of some sort to drive supplies across the border. He has launched a Gofundme campaign to raise money for its purchase; excess funds will be used to purchase food and other relief supplies to bring to Ukrainian civilians. He intends to drive that load across the border and drop it off, then ferry civilians back out, focusing on those who aren’t strong enough to fight for a spot on a crowded westbound train.

“When I get to Poland, I’ll get a mailbox in Warsaw so people can ship relief supplies directly to me,” he says. He plans to set up a personal link on Amazon detailing the items in greatest need; friends and supporters will be able to order online, then have their donations shipped directly to his address. He suggests that with the flurry of unfamiliar organizations gathering donations right now, area residents may feel that donating through someone they know personally offers an extra measure of confidence that their money is being used as they intended.

“If I’m over there, I can vouch that every cent will be used for good,” he promises. “I know the people in this area are going to respond. We rally when help is needed. If I let people know how they can help, that help will come.”

While he’s still working out the details, Mark directs potential donors to his website, MarkJLindquist.com, and his page on Facebook, where he will post regular updates on how they can help. He expects to arrange for a friend to act as a local liaison.

“We can all share this common mission – to do whatever we can to help these good people who are fighting desperately for their freedom,” he emphasizes. “After all, I’m a motivational speaker – so part of my goal is to inspire people to believe. We can all do so much more than we think we can.”

In the meantime, donations can be directed through Gofundme. The link is on his Facebook page (search “Mark J Lindquist”).