John,

It has been a while since we have done an Around the World entry. We have been so preoccupied with the atrocities at home that are being committed by 2024 MAGA-GOP Presidential hopefools Abbot and DeSantis. However, this week there has been so much global activity that I felt it was necessary to give you some updates.

Vladimir Putin once again finds himself on the losing side of the war. To make matters worse for Putin, the Russian people are turning on him. Just as dictators have done all throughout history once they see the writing on the wall, Putin has begun to desperately double down on his violent authoritarianism.

Putin threatens NATO and the rest of the world with the use of Nuclear weapons. His threat is a desperate attempt to distract from the real news of how badly his unjust war is going. It’s going so bad that he will have to invoke a draft to forcibly recruit Russian men. This news almost instantly sparked a massive exodus of Russians with one-way tickets out of Russia. 

To protect his future army of enslaved soldiers, Putin is no longer allowing Russian men ages 18-65 to leave. Does this sound like a leader that cares about his people? Russia is losing the war in a humiliating fashion, and rather than accept his own defeat, he has decided to try to defeat his own people. Now that’s a war he is guaranteed to lose!

Just this week Ukrainian soldiers took back large parts of their territory with little to no resistance from Russian troops. Putin greatly miscalculated the resolve of the Ukrainian people! To be honest, we all did. I did not imagine they could not only hold off the mighty Russian army from advancing to Kyiv, but they did that and then some. 

As a soldier that spent the majority of my life around other soldiers, I can tell you that what makes a good fighter is not the equipment a person has but the heart, work ethic, resolve and comradery that is developed amongst a unit. Quite frankly, the Ukrainian soldiers have those characteristics the Russian soldiers, who know they are on the wrong side, do not. It’s hard to get the job done when you know you shouldn’t be doing it.

In Iran, it appears that the people are on the cusp of a revolution. Young Iranians craving democracy and freedom are taking to the streets to defy an oppressive government. This is not the first time Iranians have attempted to secure their freedom, and if they don’t succeed, it won’t be their last! As long as there is fascism there will be revolutionaries willing to fight and die for their freedoms. I am in awe of these young protestors' resolve and bravery, I hope they succeed and they get the freedom they so desperately seek.

President Biden addressed the UN today. Once again we were reminded why 81 million Americans joined together and elected him as our commander and chief. The President's words during today's UN Address could not be more clear: Putin will not succeed in terrorizing Ukraine as well as the rest of the free world. President Biden brought his A-game today and the world took notice. 

Such a stark contrast from when Trump addressed the UN and told the lie that no American President in the history of the United States has accomplished more than him. Trump’s lie was met with hysterical laughter by the international community. A room filled with the most prestigious diplomats in the world burst out in laughter at an American President. What a disgrace that was to our country. What a contrast that we saw today when President Biden received the applause and respect that he deserves.

President Biden also addressed climate change and the different ways America is once again leading to help combat the growing crisis. Pakistan is suffering from the most devastating flooding in history, meanwhile, the horn of Africa is dealing with extreme drought leading to famine and tragic loss of life. We need to be doing more to help our fellow humans and President Biden vowed to do just that.

I promise not to take too long to send out another one of these Around the World updates. Right now you know we are gearing up for the midterms and so I have to ask you to help us out so that we can keep the pressure on and win some of these battleground seats and give President Biden the Congress he needs to keep progress going.

If you can, please dig deep and chip in. Giving even a little will help No Dem Left Behind do the hard work that’s needed to help protect our country from the domestic MAGAcon extremists that aim to destroy our democracy. 

Sappers Clear the way Airborne all the way,

Major Richard Ojeda USA (Ret.)