Idaho Army Veteran Died While Fighting Russians in Ukraine

According to devastated family members, a US Army veteran from Idaho died earlier this month while battling Russian soldiers in Ukraine. On October 3 while engaged in combat in the Russian-separatist-controlled Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine, Dane Partridge suffered fatal injuries due to a tank round.

Army veteran died while fighting Russians in Ukraine

A US Department of State spokesperson confirmed to The Post that an American citizen was killed in the Donbas region of Ukraine, without offering any other information. The representative stated, "We are in touch with the family and are providing all appropriate assistance," adding that they would withhold any details "out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time.." Furthermore, Partridge was on life support after suffering a critical injury, according to a Facebook update posted on Monday by Jenny Partridge Corry, Partridge's sister. According to Corry, a physician from the Kyiv Military Hospital informed the family that Partridge sustained severe brain damage, as well as spinal injuries at the brain stem and neck. Unfortunately, the family discovered that Partridge passed away from his injuries the following day. "We have just been informed that Dane aka Bird passed away while still being on life support. I know his soul has found peace," Corry wrote. She continued, "He stayed true to his faith and spiritual convictions till his dying days. He was a fine soldier who fought with valor and bravery on the battlefield. We have been told that he was 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.” Moreover, Dennis Partridge, Partridge's father, posted a few days previously that his son had been hurt while "fighting for freedom in Ukraine." Additionally, Corry claimed he occasionally messaged her when he was in Ukraine to express how much he missed his wife and kids.

What's More

After raising money to pay for a plane ticket and new military gear, the Idaho army veteran joined the conflict in Ukraine in April. He claimed that he "felt a need to go" at the moment to assist in protecting Ukrainians from invading Russian forces. He left for Europe on April 25. In addition, his last Facebook post is on April 27, after he landed in Poland before crossing the border to join the fight in neighboring Ukraine. During Patridge's 15-month deployment to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Matt Reeves served as his commanding officer from 2007 to 2009. He posted a heartfelt homage to his former soldier on Facebook. He claimed that after learning a few months ago that Partridge would be fighting in Ukraine, he felt "somewhat responsible" for the death of his former comrade since "as his sergeant in 2008, I was responsible for his life and his well-being." "I wanted to tell him so badly not to go. He wasn’t Ukrainian, he didn’t have family from there, he was just a guy from Idaho. I wanted to tell him that his family, his friends, and his old battle buddies needed him here, safe,” Reeves wrote. “But he felt so strongly about it that he went. And there’s no possible way to talk someone out of something like that. Nor can you even approach them about it. He felt that same call to defend the Ukrainian people as he did for the Iraqi people. Maybe he’s a better man than me for that.”