Veteran wounded while volunteering in Ukraine returns home to Orange County
A local veteran injured while volunteering as a combat medic in Ukraine has finally made his way back to the United States after a crowdfunding effort from family and friends raised enough money for his safe return.
Gio Roman, 29, a Garden Grove man who served in the United States Marine Corps normally works as an emergency room technician. However, when the fighting began in Ukraine, he decided to offer his assistance to those who needed it more, volunteering his time as a combat medic.
He had been overseas for months before he was wounded on February 14, when the Humvee he was traveling in was struck by an RPG, causing him to lose his right eye and sustain other significant injuries.
"I just remember, something's not right. I can't see," Roman recalled, while speaking with KCAL News. "My hand was hurting, I felt shrapnel in my hand."
In the weeks since, Roman had been recovering in Ukraine, but with the level of medical care not matching that of the U.S., loved ones began to work on raising money to make sure he could return home to receive the best treatment possible.
"I knew that I had the skillset to help," Roman said, when asked why he decided to volunteer in Ukraine. "I couldn't sit back here and just watch it on TV and kind of hope for the best. I knew that I could do something about it."
While his plans to join the service might have been derailed by the injuries, he has no regrets about the help he was able to provide.
"We're all very similar, we all want the same things. We all just want to be happy with our families, we want the best for our loved ones and we want to grow up peacefully — just like here."
The GoFundMe to help Roman pay for whatever future medical expenses may arise can be found by searching for the key words: "Help Gio Recover."
