War in Ukraine. Chronicles of a military volunteer-15
How your life can change in one day…
April 2023.
Around Bakhmut.
A huge, heavy Ford SUV was struggling to move through the mud that the former dirt road had turned into after days of rain.
It was being thrown in different directions, with a mass of heavy clay wrapped around its wheels.
It was the vehicle of a medical evacuation team for the wounded from the battlefield.
It had no red crosses or other medical markings. Only green pixel camouflage. For the Russians, a vehicle with a red cross immediately becomes a target for attack.
There were a few kilometers left to the zero mark of the front line. But the front line was already breathing in the faces of the paramedics, who were listening to the explosions ahead.
The vehicle got stuck again. The powerful American 6-liter engine could not cope with the Donetsk clay.
The driver put the vehicle in reverse to try to jump over the difficult section. Again, he failed. The next attempt. The jeep stopped. The wheels were not visible. It was pure clay.
Only on the fourth attempt did the driver jump out of the deep rut made by the heavy military equipment.
They drove on.
There were three guys in the cab. They were in full ammunition, wearing body armor and carrying weapons.
They did not look like medics, but more like a special forces unit.
They also looked completely different from their pre-war occupations.
A church pastor, a programmer, and a cinematographer.
It seemed like a long, long time ago…
But only a little over a year has passed.
— Brother, look out the window! We need to watch the drones, we’re getting close.
The burly guy barely fit into the window opening and looked up.
— It’s like they’re not there!
— Watch out!
The team was approaching the evacuation point where the military were transferring the wounded.
Here they are, the guys can already see them. There were several soldiers standing in a small wooded area. They were very dirty and tired. Two wounded guys were lying on the ground.
The driver quickly drove under a tree. It was of little use, bare branches without leaves would not hide a huge SUV, but it was a little calmer psychologically.
There was a large pool of blood near one of the wounded. He had been wounded above the knee and the Chinese tourniquet was not performing its function well. Although it looked like a real one.
— Pinch the artery! -one of the medics pressed the wounded man’s leg with his fingers.
— Break that tourniquet, let’s use ours!
In a minute the blood flow was stopped. The guys stabilized the soldier’s condition.
He was lying with his eyes closed and clutching a small cardboard box.
— Don’t sleep, brother, hold on! Everything will be fine! You will live! We’re going to take you to the doctors, they’ll fix you up!
— Give me the box, we’ll put it in the car!
— No, I won’t give it to you!” the wounded man said heavily.
— Well, as you wish!
— Guys, let’s load him into the car!
The soldiers and medics put the soldier on a stretcher and transferred him to the interior of the jeep.
The second wounded man was in better condition.
A mine fragment tore a piece of his body from his arm, but the turnstile held the blood.
— We loaded up and quickly ran away from here before a drone came and adjusted artillery on us!
— Do you guys need anything? We have water and chocolate! — the military looked at the medics in confusion, they definitely did not expect gifts along with the evacuation.
— Why are you silent? Brother, give them some, there’s some in the trunk.
— Guys, thank you! — The soldiers took the gifts. Their black, soiled hands looked strange on the clean chocolate packages.
— Take care of yourselves! Everything will be fine! Glory to Ukraine!
— Glory to the heroes! — The soldiers headed back to hell, where the explosions did not stop.
The evacuation team went to the stabilization center. Doctors will take care of the wounded there.
The off-road vehicle was again in the realm of wet clay. But the driver had a rough idea of where to go around and where to give gas.
Suddenly, the medics heard a peep.
What is it? Are the wounded squeaking?
— Guys, what’s going on? Is someone sick?
And again a squeak. No, it was not the soldiers.
Just a wounded man with a cardboard box looking at the crew in confusion.
Yes, the squeaking is coming from the box.
— What do you have there, brother?
— Puppies! — the soldier said with difficulty, — they would have been killed there!
— You’re kidding! Give me those babies here. Don’t worry, we won’t throw them away!
The soldier handed the box to the nearest medic. He opened the box, and there were two small puppies.
— How beautiful! — The guy stretched out his hand to them and the puppies immediately began to lick his fingers.
— They must be hungry, right?
— I don’t know, — the soldier said, — I found them right before I was wounded.
— You’re a handsome man! Well, guys, we have a special load! Let’s at least give them some water.
The car was shaking, but the medic, having experience in providing assistance in such conditions, deftly poured water into a thermos glass and gave it to two small lively lumps.
The puppies drank eagerly.
— We will come and feed you in a moment, — he took one of them in his arms. The puppy began to chew on his jacket.
— They are so beautiful, — the medic repeated, — if it wasn’t for the bitch war, I would have kept them for sure.
— What are you going to do with them, soldier? You’re going to the hospital for sure, right? They won’t let you keep dogs there.
— I don’t know. The main thing is that they are alive and safe. Maybe someone will take them, — the wounded man replied.
— Well, you’ve given us a challenge, my friend… Guys, maybe we can take them to our location and then give them to someone? They are small — the medic asked with such regret in his voice that his colleagues laughed out loud.
— Come on, take them, you’ll be their mom! You will breastfeed them! It’s not your first time.
A few days later, the two puppies, named Bakhmut and Himars, were sent to Kyiv. There, a very kind bearded biker was already waiting for them with several other Bakhmut and Himars…
