BY TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Andrew Peters, the son of John and Heather Peters, was killed in action in Ukraine on Feb. 16, 2023, while fighting on the front lines as a volunteer with the International Legion of Defence of Ukraine (also known as Ukraine’s International Legion). He was 28 years old.
While CNN reported “heavy Russian shelling in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions” and “brutal urban combat in the flashpoint city of Bakhmut” in the recent week, the exact location is unspecified for security reasons.
John and Heather originally received a call from a member of Andrew’s unit last Tuesday, Feb. 21, to tell them Andrew was missing in action. Later that day, they received the news that they had recovered his body.
Andrew had been in touch with family and friends back in Wisconsin up until Feb. 11.
John Peters and Heather (Schug) Peters both graduated from Merrill High School, John in 1988 and Heather in 1989. The couple now resides in Marshfield, where they raised their two sons, following John’s service in the U.S. Army (1988-1997, 1991 Persian Gulf War).
Andrew, also a Marshfield resident, joined the International Legion in late November 2022, after months of discernment following the Feb. 24, 2022, Russian invasion of Ukraine, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War that had begun in 2014. Andrew said it was his calling, and he volunteered, joining many other veterans from the U.S. and other countries who felt personally moved to help the Ukrainian people and traveled there to fight, at their own initiative and personal expense. He arrived ready to fight with his own body armor and tactical gear. Andrew spoke both Russian and Ukrainian and was a skilled marksman.
Ukraine’s International Legion was created by the Ukrainian government and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to recruit veteran soldiers to assist in the country’s military defense and fight for global security.
“Andrew had a strong sense of what was right and wrong,” John and Heather said in a prepared statement. “He felt the need to use his prior military combat skills to help the Ukrainian people fight and liberate their country.”
According to Wikipedia, “The invasion has caused tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and instigated Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II.”
Andrew is at least the 12th U.S. veteran to die in Ukraine in the fight for that country’s freedom. His father wants Americans to know the war in Ukraine isn’t just affecting the Ukrainians.
A 2012 graduate of Marshfield High School, Andrew joined the U.S. Army immediately after graduation, leaving for basic training just four days before his 18th birthday, and served as an infantryman with the 101st Airborne Division from 2012 to 2016, including a tour in Afghanistan in 2014, and was honorably discharged in 2016.
“Andrew was extremely close to his fellow soldiers and was well liked by everyone. We are all extremely proud of his bravery and selfless sacrifice,” his parents said.
“He had a very close bond with his fellow legionnaires,” John said.
John and Heather are working with the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to bring Andrew’s remains home.
The family is understandably devastated and has asked for privacy.
