Ukraine still on heart, mind of native

by Mary Le Arneal
Published 1/25/23

In the March 9, 2022, North Bend Eagle there was a story about Tamara Eason, wife of North Bend native Mike Easton, herself a native of Ukraine. The story was written at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in what has now been called a war that began Feb. 24, 2022.

Now, almost a year later, the war still rages. If the Russians thought they would come in and take over Ukraine in a matter of months, if not weeks, it didn’t happen that way. The Eagle has had inquiries about following up with Eason.

In the March article Mike Eason said he had spent a year in 2017-2018 stationed in Kyiv as a field artillery officer helping Ukrainians replace the old Soviet style of thinking and fighting for a more modern Western style. The Ukrainians have held their own. What territory they may have lost, they have regained some.

Tamara Eason continues to follow the war. Husband Mike follows it more closely on the internet.

“This year has been rough with a lot of changes, suffering,” Tamara said, “Russians are killing civilians, shutting down the power grid. Many are going through power rationing with electricity on for four hours, then off for four hours.”

Eason’s great-aunt died a week ago in what Eason feels was due to the war and a lack of electricity. She had no immediate family nearby and when the assisted living home she was in closed, she returned to her own home. The state provided someone to check on her twice a week and Eason paid for that person to come more often. Family living near Kyiv had invited her to come stay with them. But the elderly lady would not go, feeling she was in a safer place in western of Ukraine. She was found dead on her kitchen floor, with a scraped knee and split bottle of pills beside her.

“It is tough,” Eason said. “For all Ukraine in some way. Either no school, no power,going to the front to volunteer.”

Eason said the Ukrainans are very patriotic, volunteering to go to the front to take supplies, food, clothing, to the military.

“The volunteer effort is very strong,” Eason said. “They buy things as a coop then share them. There are trucks going to the front with things for the boys up front.”

Eason has a friend, a psychologist, who is a widow and has a 14-year-old daughter. She felt the need to leave her family and go to the front.

Read the full story in the print or e-edition.

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