TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A retired U.S. Army veteran and his wife were rescued from behind enemy lines in Ukraine Saturday by members from the Tampa-based non-profit rescue organization, Project DYNAMO.
Over the last week, members from Project DYNAMO worked to extract Sgt. 1st Class Robert “Bob” Platt and his wife to safety. According to a news release, the veteran and his wife found themselves in the Russian offensive corridor at their home outside Kyiv, Ukraine.
The release stated Platt is a veteran of the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. He also served in Operation Just Cause and Operation Desert Storm. Platt told rescuers he and his wife had to shelter in place as Russian forces looted surrounding homes while their neighborhood was “mercilessly shelled” by Russian artillery.
“Having been on the receiving end of Russian artillery, it puts in painful perspective what the Platt family and their neighbors have been enduring over the last several weeks as Russian troops were literally in their backyard,” said Bryan Stern, co-founder of Project DYNAMO.
At approximately 6 p.m. EST Saturday, Platt and his wife crossed the Polish border with members of Project DYNAMO. As of Sunday, the project had rescued more than 215 people from Ukraine.
Over 14,000 requests for evacuation have been made to the project, the news release added, many of whom included children, the elderly, and members of the Jewish community in Ukraine.
Anyone in need of evacuation is urged to register at projectdynamo.org and register for the U.S. State Department’s STEP program.
