A unique understanding
Paul Schwennesen is from Weston. He is a husband and father who graduated from the Air Force Academy and served as a Captain in the US Air Force. He went on to study politics and government at Harvard and is currently a PhD candidate in history at the University of Kansas. He is also a cattle rancher from Arizona.
Weston folks frequently spot him around town performing one of his many volunteer community activities and notice his rancher’s hat, thus referring to him as “Cowboy Paul.” Paul’s background provides him with a unique understanding of the current situation in Ukraine. Paul’s wife, Benthe, recently moved to Weston from Amsterdam, and has a deep affinity with the people and countries impacted in Europe.
After sleepless nights watching updates of the invasion and discussing the humanitarian needs, Paul and Benthe decided – “if not us, who?” Paul met up with other men and together they joined the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine. First steps, he gathered medical, and crisis supplies to take with him to Poland. His friends and family helped raise over $10,000, augmented by generous suppliers such as the merchant who donated a box of combat tourniquets when he discovered Paul was hand-delivering the goods. Loaded up with comfort, medical, and items of necessity, Paul headed to the airport and paid $700 in extra baggage fees for transporting these goods.
(Benthe’s role was to stay in Weston providing support from the home. Working online, Benthe also began to study the Ukrainian language and offer her time and European connections to aid displaced Ukrainian families. This includes placing refugees in her parents’ home in Holland.)
Once arriving in Poland, Paul’s first communication was to share photos and videos, explaining that the images on the news aren’t exaggerated. The refugee situation is chaotic, dire, and growing. Lack of transportation is one of the biggest hurdles and his group is looking to buy (renting is nearly impossible) an additional vehicle to transport refugees to safety. In setting up a crowdfunding site, they encountered overwhelmed platforms and instead, set up a direct PayPal account: Paul@doublecheckranch.com <mailto:Paul@doublecheckranch.com> .
Those wanting to follow the efforts of Paul’s group can contact Benthe Dore through Facebook. Or follow the Facebook page: facebook.com/Our-Men-on-the-Ground-in-Ukraine-102826299028843/
Benthe will continue to post the photos and videos coming in from Paul.
Benthe says, “of all the supplies we hope to provide, the greatest is one more human stepping up to help.” And from our KC area, that one more person is Paul Schwennesen, aka Cowboy Paul, from Weston.