Bay Area man returns home after serving with Ukrainian military
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The fog of war in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has provided clarity for a South Bay man.
Ryan Pursley felt a calling to fly thousands of miles to join the Ukrainian Foreign Legion.
Since recently returning to his Bay Area home, Pursley has been enjoying life's simpler pleasures, like walking in a park. His late afternoon walks are cathartic, he said, emphasizing the need for the conflict to end.
"It feels pretty awkward. It feels like I’m
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sort of detached. There’s a lot of emotions that go into it. Especially since the news is covering Ukraine a lot. So I almost feel guilty for being gone," Pursley said, with the late afternoon sun giving his face a golden glow.
The 29-year-old wants to return to the front lines in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He misses his battalion and battling against a stubborn enemy.
"I want people to know the reality of the front line. I want them to know how drastic the situation is. It is insanely violent," Pursley said.
A retired U.S. Army specialist, Pursley served a year-long tour with the Ukraine Foreign Legion in 2023. Disturbing wartime footage spurred him out of retirement, kindling his concern for the innocent and giving him a reason to fight.
"I saw hospitals hit; schools hit; villages and cities turned to complete rubble. And there was something about it I know it’s cheezy, but it was almost like a calling to go out there," said Pursley. "I have the skill set to do it. I knew what I was getting myself into."
His service took him to the front lines, fighting alongside Ukrainian soldiers and others in the country's foreign legion.
"Individuals who do this have a strong sense of right and wrong. And I think they are attracted to the black and whiteness of this war," said Matthew Schmidt, a national security associate professor at the University of New Haven. "There’s a clear line. You know which way to shoot you know who the bad guys are. You’re defending good guys and democracy, and a lot of people are attracted to that."
After a year of frontline combat and weeks back home in the Bay decompressing, Pursley said his path forward has become clear. While his family urges no, he believes he’ll once again take a walk in harm's way, battling a foe 6,200 miles away from the Bay Area.
"If you care about something enough, you’ll go do it," he said.
Pursley won't share details about his return to Ukraine or the unit he'll join for security reasons.
Post-conflict, he's likely to face a different sort of battle as a firefighter in the South Bay.
Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on Instagram, @jessegontv and on Facebook, @JesseKTVU.