The family of a Marine veteran who died fighting in Ukraine last month is facing the daunting task of repatriating his remains, an often heartbreaking endeavor that roughly 30 families of American veterans who have died in Ukraine have undergone or are currently undergoing.
Ethan Hertweck, 21, died in Ukraine on Dec. 8, according to his parents, nearly two weeks before he was scheduled to return home to Springfield, Missouri, after his second trip to volunteer in the country currently under brutal invasion by Russia since early 2022.
Hertweck initially left the U.S. just weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, finding a calling for what his parents described as a lifelong desire to help those in need. The Marine veteran, who trained in Ukraine as a medic, joined a unit that ended up deep in the front lines, and Hertweck died during what would have been his last mission in the country.
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A month later, his family is in the midst of what has proven to be a months-long process for many families, friends and loved ones who have lost former American service members to the conflict in Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian government has laws that are not like our laws, so now we have to sit and wait,” Leslie Hertweck, his mom, told Military.com on Tuesday. “It’s the hardest thing for closure. … We just want closure, we just want to…
