Ryan Hendrickson is a former sergeant first class in the US Special Forces, the Green Berets, who now runs the NGO “Tip of the Spear – Landmine removal”, dedicated to demining in Ukraine.
Hendrickson was seriously wounded in Afghanistan in 2010, but after undergoing numerous operations and a grueling rehabilitation process, he managed to rejoin the Green Berets and was sent back to Afghanistan in March 2012. He retired as a highly decorated veteran, having earned, among other decorations, the Silver Star, four Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart.
When are you arriving in Ukraine, and for what reason?
I first came to Ukraine in March 2022 and before that I was in Afghanistan. I was there until July 2021, just before the full withdraw, and when I came home I felt lost because I had spent my entire military career in the war in Afghanistan. I had retired from the army and had a contract and a job, but I was watching the large-scale invasion in February 2022, and in March I left my job to come to Ukraine and see how I could help.
In the very beginning I was working with a missionary organization, YWAM (Young With A Mission), evacuating women, children, and the elderly from areas occupied by the Russians and helping them reach neighboring countries such as Poland or Romania. As the Russians conducted their withdraw to the East, in April 2022, the civilians started to come back to their homes, but they began to fall victim to landmines and explosive devices left behind. Since my job in the military, in the special forces, was as a demolitions expert, I had a lot of experience in finding improvised explosive devices (IED) and landmines from my service in Afghanistan, so I decided to focus on that task.
You were seriously wounded by an IED in Afghanistan.
Yes, it was in September 2010, while rescuing an Afghan soldier in “uncleared” territory, I stepped on an IED with my right foot; it nearly killed me and left my foot dangling at the end of my leg. So I am very familiar with mines and explosives.
When mines started taking casualties among civilians I partnered with a territorial defense unit to make those areas safe again and I started training them in demining with what I had learned in Afghanistan. I understand that Afghanistan and Ukraine are different, but explosives are explosives everywhere. On the ground, I saw that there was a critical need for equipment, so I went home, raised funds and bought detectors and mine-clearing equipment, and returned to Ukraine. I delivered the equipment to the unit and went to another, and continued to do the same until September 2022.
Is that when you created “Tip of the Spear – Landmine removal Inc”?
Yes, I decided to turn my volunteer work in to a nonprofit NGO, and, to my surprise, the NGO was approved very quickly in the United States. This is now my eleventh trip to Ukraine, and throughout this time we have been working with Ukrainian teams, donating equipment, working in the field, training them… However, after more than three years of war, Ukrainians no longer need much training and are probably the best deminers in the world.
We have also created our own NGO in Ukraine, “Tip of the Spear Ukraine”, where we provide everything from training to equipment for mine action and have starting up female demining teams. Many are wives of veterans who are on the front lines, and demining gives them a purpose and a sense of service. Our team consists of retired American veterans, most of them Green Berets, and the rest are Ukrainians, veterans who can no longer actively serve on the front lines.
Do you also teach civilians how to act if they encounter a mine or IED?
Absolutely. With land mines the US term is called ‘Explosive Ordnance Risk Education’. We go to the communities and teach the people, especially children, because they are so innocent that they believe nothing can harm them and they touch these devices and even play with them. This education is extremely important and our teams are trained in this field.
You have recounted your experience in Afghanistan in your book “Tip of the Spear”. After you were wounded, you went through a hell of operations and rehabilitation, but you returned to the Green Berets and Afghanistan. Is it that determination that has brought you back to Ukraine so many times?
It was 28 surgeries and 18 months of rehab. I went back to Afghanistan and did it seven more times. I know firsthand the impact of mines and IEDs, and that’s what drives my mission. That’s why I left my job and came to Ukraine to serve, because no one has to go through all that pain, especially the children. They are the ones who motivate me the most, because a child has his whole life ahead and is only guilty of being a child. Landmines are indiscriminate killers and, unfortunately, the ones who suffer the most from their consequences are the innocent; that’s why I do what I do.
Ukraine has made a great effort in the recovery of maimed civilians and soldiers. Do you know any of the rehabilitation centers?
Yes, Ukraine has centers like Superhumans in Lviv that are world class. Also, they are building more centers across Ukraine and they are doing an amazing job. Unfortunately, there are too many casualties, too many wounded, and it is difficult to build enough facilities for people wounded by landmines.
Despite the harshness of the war, Ukrainians are extremely resilient and grateful, they are a strong people and they are very motivated. Of course, they are tired, but that doesn’t matter because they are defending their country.
In a post on social media you said that you strive to leave this world a better place than before. Is this your goal?
Yes, my goal in life is to leave this world just a little bit better than when I came in and spread that message, because that is what God wants. God put us on Earth to help other people to try to make this world a better place, and if I can spread this message and a few people get it and they do their part, well, hope is contagious and spreads extremely quickly. With hope and everybody doing their part, imagine what we can get.
I’ll tell you one thing: in my life I’ve been in some really bad places and I’ve seen some really bad things, but you can always see the hand of God if you look for it. In all these places there is hope because God is everywhere, and if we allow Him to use us as a vessel to help others, there is always hope, even, and especially, in the places that seem the darkest.
