Grady Kurpasi USMC veteran fighting in Ukraine, has gone missing, raising fears that Russian or pro-Russian forces have kidnapped all three.
Following the earlier announcement that two other American military veterans had lost contact with their families, Grady Kurpasi’s family revealed that he had been missing in the Kherson area since late April.
According to the Washington Post, Kurpasi traveled to Ukraine in early March and was last in contact on April 26 when he was deployed to an observation post during a civilian evacuation.
Grady Kurpasi USMC: Who Is He?
Kurpasi was a 20-year United States Marine Corps veteran, retiring in November 2021.
According to Heath, he chose to enlist with Ukrainians in Ukraine but did not expect to fight on the front lines of the conflict.
CNN reports that former US Marine, Grady Kurpasi went missing in Kherson region at the end of April.
Kurpasi joined the US Marines after the September 11 terrorist attacks and had four deployments during his service, including three to Iraq. pic.twitter.com/ZniH05shQj
— AZ OSINT (@AZmilitary1) June 17, 2022
He enlisted in the US Marines after the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, where he lived, and served three combat tours in Iraq before retiring in November 2021.
Grady Kurpasi Wife
Grady Kurpasi’s wife is Henson Kim. His husband is the third American to go missing in Ukraine. She told the Washington Post.
Kurpasi, who volunteered to combat Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, departed the United States in early March and landed in Kyiv on March 21, according to George Heath, a family spokesperson.
According to Heath, the 49-year-old was last seen on April 26 in the Kherson region, where he was entrusted with covering an observation position so civilians could flee. A few days before the assignment, the veteran spoke to family and friends in the United States for the last time.
Kurpasi’s cell phone signal was recently traced near the neighborhood of a huge retail mall, according to a family source.
Grady Kurpasi Update, What Happened?
Grady Kurpasi had been missing in the Kherson area since late April, following the news that two other American military veterans had lost communication with their families.
Two additional Americans, Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, are still missing in Russia, and claims on Russian social media and an image of the pair imply they have been apprehended.
American fighter Grady Kurpasi captured in Ukraine ? https://t.co/jqWRPDpc8K
— The Independent (@Independent) June 17, 2022
The State Department said on Thursday that it couldn’t confirm if they’d been apprehended, but it’s possible. Both men’s families have requested that the US government strive to secure their release