Today is Friday, March 18, 2022. Today we learn about the first American casualty in the terrible Ukrainian war that has been going on for the last 23 days. The dead American’s name was Jimmy Hill and he was with his Ukrainian partner, Ira, who has multiple sclerosis. When war broke out, Hill remained, despite the deteriorating conditions in the northern city of Chernihiv. Hill was among dozens of civilians killed by the Russian onslaught yesterday in Chernihiv. This sad story was covered in an online CNN article by Steve Almasy entitled “American killed in Ukraine described increasing hardships for civilians in city near Russia.”

Hill’s sister, Katya, told CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront that her brother had no intention of leaving her partner of around 13 years in her condition. She said, “Jim was in Ukraine this time because he had gotten medicine from the United States and had found a doctor in Chernihiv that would treat her.”

As for how Hill died, Ukrainian police said he died during artillery fire. The city in which Hill lost his life is found to the northeast of Kyiv and is close to the Russian border and has seen some of the most intense shelling from Russian forces since the war began more than three weeks ago.

Hill’s record of the worsening situation in Ukraine was found in his Facebook posts in which he detailed air raid sirens, daily explosions, and an “orange sky over the city” amid fires. His final entry read, “Bombing has intensified noway (sic) out.”

The character of Hill’s gentle soul was provided by his grieving sister, Katya, who said her brother would leave the hospital where Ira and her mother were to bring back what food he could find. For the nurses, he would bring back cookies for them. He gave out chocolate to people who needed encouragement. Katya told CNN, “My brother was the helper that people find in a crisis.”

Hill provided insight into the Ukrainian people to his sister when he told her that they were very patient and when they lined up for food or supplies, they would only take what they needed.

The last time the pair talked was two Saturdays ago. Katya stated, “We talked for about an hour as I was hearing the bombs in the background.” She added, “And then he said he could see the lighting up in the sky from the bombing in civilian areas.”

The postings from her brother became increasingly distraught as the bombing intensified. On March 8, his post began: “Intense bombing last night for 2 hours. It was close to hospital. Machine gun fire could be heard. It stopped just after midnight.”

To earn his living, Hill spent half the year in Ukraine teaching and teaching at other universities in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Finland, and Poland, so he could be with his partner. A school in the Czech Republic posted a statement of sympathy on Facebook. The statement said in part that the deceased American was loved by the students from all over the world. Katya corroborated this impression of her brother, saying, “My brother was just a special person and everybody that’s on Facebook can see that.”

As of now, Hill’s family doesn’t know where his body is, even though his sister was told the police found his body. In conclusion, Katya mused, “The hardest thing that we’re going to have to go through is not having that kind of closure. We just want to know where he is.” For the sake of Hill’s grieving family, let’s hope that situation is resolved very soon in which a sense of closure could be obtained very soon.

Another important story emerging from the unprovoked war against Ukraine is President Joe Biden’s video call to his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, that lasted 110 minutes in which the U.S. president tried to dissuade Jinping from assisting Russia in its war on Ukraine that could represent a pivotal moment that could determine the trajectory of the bloody conflict. The bulk of the leaders’ discussion centered on the war in Ukraine and the implications the crisis would have for U.S.-China relations and the “international order,” an official said. But the administration refused to publicly detail what those consequences would be.

Both sides assert that discussions will continue in the coming days. Biden plans to discuss China’s role with other Western leaders at a snap NATO summit next week in Brussels, Belgium. It’s anyone’s guess as to what China will do either in distancing itself from the war or in condemning it. So far, it has done neither. However, what is at stake here is what Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman indicated, “The ask is that China needs to stand on the right side of history.”

Everyone hopes that this unjustified war will cease very soon. Vladimir Putin has only succeeded in uniting the Western world against him in his efforts to smash an independent, democratic country to smithereens.

It’s getting late here, folks. Today was a gorgeous spring day, with temperatures in the seventies, I think. I managed to take a very nice walk after breakfast while Elliot volunteered his services at the local elementary school. He enjoys assisting a kindergarten teacher with her 20 students. He hasn’t been in school for several months because of COVID-19. Today was the day he decided it was time to return to help the young students of this particular teacher.

In the evening, we drove to Astoria to meet our good friends “Seth” and “Jerry” at a Greek restaurant on Broadway called Bahari. The restaurant was filled to the brim with mask-free patrons. We had a very enjoyable discussion while digesting tasty Greek food. We all shared a large salad and grilled octopus. I ordered center cut pork chops, while Elliot ordered prawns. We then walked over to a Greek coffeehouse for dessert and coffee. Two of us ordered gelato, while I ordered a chocolate mousse in the form of a chocolate mouse. I can’t locate the Greek word for this confection. I should ask Seth the next time I see him what the word is. I do know that it began with a “k.”

Have a great weekend. Unfortunately, the weather is not supposed to be a repeat of today, with rain in the forecast for tomorrow.

Stay safe and be well.