Army veteran who quit CPD to help Ukraine back in Chicago, seeks support for volunteer organization

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A former Chicago police officer who quit his job and went to help when fighting broke out in Ukraine is back in the city, drumming up support for his organization Task Force Yankee.

ABC7 caught up with Harrison Jozefowicz to understand what he's trying to do and how viewers can help his efforts.

The army veteran surveyed the signs of loss and hope draping the fence line at the Ukrainian consulate in Streeterville. He is back from the war in Ukraine, where his Task Force Yankee, a registered 501-C-3 charity, shepherds people and materiel to front line fighters defending Ukraine from Russian invasion.

"I have been serving so this was just the ultimate calling to try and help out the ones that need it the most in the world," he said.

Josefowicz quit his Chicago police post when Russian forces invaded in February. His motivation stems from losing a close friend in Afghanistan during the withdrawal of American forces in the spring of 2021. Task Force Yankee brings internationally donated medical supplies to the front lines, and trains volunteers in battlefield first aid. They've even gotten toys to kids in the warzone.

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"The Brits and the Canadians have been phenomenal and the Germans too it is a huge collaboration in international effort," Josefowicz said.

The volunteer specializes in the logistics of getting supplies into Poland and then transporting them by semi-truck or van into the battlefields of southern and eastern Ukraine, where the scenes of the worst fighting exist. Six months into the war, he is back home to battle what he calls "compassion fatigue."

"Since resources are scarce we are starting to see our efforts need to be increased in terms of fundraising and things of that nature," he said.

Since the beginning of the war, the State Department has warned Americans not to travel to Ukraine.

For more information on Task Force Yankee, click here.