EPISODE 21
UKRAINE UNCOVERED: LIFE ON THE FRONT LINE
COMBAT MEDIC, BRANDON MITCHELL
CONTENT WARNING: Some of the topics in this episode are discussed in graphic detail which some listeners may find distressing.
1,300 miles separate London from Kyiv, a distance that affords us the luxury to conveniently ‘forget’ that Ukraine remains under attack.
Brandon Mitchell is not given that same luxury - a combat medic who’s seen the very best that humanity can give, and the very worst that war strips from us.
He’s returning to continue his heroic work, having survived a land mine explosion, but while he’s in the UK we have the chance to hear him share the reality of war that we seldom see in the news.
This episode covers
Brandon’s challenging family upbringing
Recovering from substance abuse and starting his 11 years of sobriety
Answering the call for help in Ukraine
Determining the value of a human life
Surviving a blast from two anti-personnel mines
The everyday heroes evacuating scores of civilians
Hypocrisy within media coverage of the war
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
“I went into an animal mode with maybe four hours sleep a night, thinking ‘Ukraine, Ukraine’. I started making plans quietly. I didn't tell my employer, I didn’t tell my girlfriend. I didn't tell anybody.”
22:50 - Brandon Mitchell
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“It's not easy growing up in a small town being the kid whose mother killed herself. My grandmother drank a lot, and she died when I was 11. My aunt raised me and she really stepped up to the plate.” - 2:30 - Brandon Mitchell
“I went home for Christmas leave once. It started with a spliff. It ended up with a car upside down with class A's everywhere.” - 7:15 - Brandon Mitchell
“I don't like when people think of addiction as a heroin junkie in an alley. What about people who neglect their families, their wives? You might see a guy you work with who's a bit edgy, but he's a good worker. What's his home life like? His wife and children? That’s what some people call functioning alcoholics.” - 16:40 - Brandon Mitchell
“If war was like what I thought it was, we'd all be dead.” - 33:50 - Brandon Mitchell
“I spent four weeks in the hospital. I was out of duty for six weeks. I drove over two anti-personnel mines in a town called Soledar.” - 37:30 - Brandon Mitchell
“I'm very lucky, but I'm also a foreigner too, and I have a social media following. If I lose a finger, 20,000 people are gonna cry. 10 Ukrainians die, and it doesn't make the news.” - 47:45 - Brandon Mitchell
“This guy asked me ‘What's the most vile thing you've seen?’. I told him I don’t want to be your dancing bear. Do you know how that hurts?” - 1:02:30 - Brandon Mitchell