STOCKTON, Calif. — A Stockton veteran says he has just completed an important mission to support troops fighting against Russia in Ukraine.
ABC10 first introduced you to 70-year-old Richard Campos earlier this year as he was collecting donations.
"Today's the day that they're actually going to be delivered," Campos said in a video on his Facebook page.
Nearly three months after first visiting Ukraine, collecting as many medical kits as he could fit into three suitcases, Stockton Marine Corps veteran Richard Campos recently returned for his second trip to Ukraine.
"All of my friends in America, I've finally made it here, making my delivery to the brave Ukrainian soldiers here," Campos said in a video on his Facebook page.
Campos hand-delivered life-saving tourniquets to Ukrainian soldiers. It was a request they made during his first visit back in March.
"The first thing they said to me was,' we need tourniquets because our front-line soldiers were bleeding out in the field'," Campos said.
Campos was able to donate around 100 kits to troops on the front lines. It was the least he could do, he said.
"It was definitely heartfelt that we did this mission, being a soldier and helping other soldiers, especially soldiers of Ukraine, because we know what they're going through, their tremendous battle, tremendous willingness to win," Campos said. "If we're able to help one or a couple, then we completed our mission."
He documented his journey through videos on social media, including meeting Ukrainian children, helping soldiers with unorthodox projects like making camo nets out of recycled t-shirts and making warm meals with his Ukrainian host family.
"As a Ukrainian, I want to say thank you, all Ukrainians appreciate help from Americans and we are very grateful for you," Dr. Olha Vyshynska, a member of Campos' host family, said.
Still, he says his humanitarian work doesn't end there and he's already planning another mission.
"Let's help, let's keep going, ok, this is not the finish," Campos said.
In addition to these two trips to Ukraine, he has also made more than 35 humanitarian trips to help in Iraq since 2003.
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