US Army Veteran From Idaho Dies While Fighting in Ukraine

US soldiers walk in Poland near the border with Ukraine, on March 3, 2022. Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images

An American army veteran who volunteered to fight in Ukraine has been killed in the Donbass region, his family has announced.

Dane Partridge, a 34-year-old father-of-five from Rexburg, Idaho, flew out to Ukraine in April to help the country in its war with Russia, and was soon deployed to the front lines. He had kept his family and friends updated with his movements on Facebook.

In a statement on social media, Partridge’s family said he passed away at Kyiv military hospital on Oct. 12 after being placed on life support following serious injuries he sustained while serving.

Doctors had previously told the family that Partridge has suffered brain damage, edema, and spinal damage and that his situation was “not conducive to life.”

“I know his soul has found peace,” a statement from his sister, Jenny Corry, read. “He was always good for a joke, witty banter, and the occasional serious conversation. He stayed true to his faith and spiritual convictions till his dying days.”

“While in Ukraine he messaged me occasionally to let me know he missed his children and wife something fierce. He was a fine soldier who fought with valor and bravery on the battlefield. We have been told that he was known to be at the front of his team, leading his men as he would never ask his men to do anything that he wasn’t willing to do.”

“Our lives have forever been changed by this stalwart man,” the statement continued. “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend.” We love you and will miss you so much brother!”

Conditions in Ukraine ‘Worse Than Iraq’

A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that a U.S. citizen had recently been killed in the Donbass region of Ukraine.

Partridge had previously served as an infantryman in Iraq for 15 months from 2007 to 2009. His sister Jenny Corry told ABC news that she had spoken with her brother while he was volunteering in Ukraine and that he said that the conditions there were worse than anything he had experienced during his time in Iraq.

Dane and his team had been clearing trenches when they ended up in a firefight with Russian soldiers who were equipped with a tank, his sister said.

“Within the firefight there was some shrapnel that was discharged and hit many of the men but Dane sustained the worse of all the injuries,” she added.

Dane sustained the injuries on Oct. 3 in Severodonetsk, a city in Luhansk, The Washington Post reports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin officially annexed four partially occupied regions of Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, last month. Western officials have said they will never recognize the four regions as anything other than Ukrainian territory.

Official numbers pertaining to the exact number of U.S. citizens who have volunteered to fight in Ukraine, or those who have died there are not currently available, however, Ukrainian officials said in March that nearly 20,000 international volunteers from 52 countries had applied to volunteer there.