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Dane Partridge, a U.S. veteran and former infantryman from Idaho, signed up as a U.S. volunteer fighter in Ukraine.
His sister, Jenny Corry, said, “He felt strongly with almost every bone in his body that he needed to go and he needed to fight. When he did leave, it was emotional for me because I just knew in my heart it would be the last time I saw him.”
34yo US Army veteran Dane Partridge died in hospital in 🇺🇦. He was critically wounded on Oct 3 in Luhansk Obl when Russian forces attacked his unit.
“His call sign was ‘Bird’. So when you see a bird, think of my son,” his mother said.
📷Partridge familyhttps://t.co/8NcyojESjF pic.twitter.com/bkpArSlPU4
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 13, 2022
Dane Partridge, 34, was a United States veteran and a family man who died in Ukraine from injuries suffered during a Russian attack.
A doctor from a Ukrainian hospital said his injuries were serious to his head and neck, and he was on life support until he died.
U.S. volunteer soldier Dane “Bird” Partridge was killed in battle against the Russian Army in the Zaporizhzhia region 2 days ago.
The Ukrainians truly appreciate the efforts of the thousands of warriors who have often traveled halfway across the world to defend Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/oFmrh4wjoV
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 13, 2022
It has been reported that there are no official numbers of volunteer fighters that have lost their lives in Ukraine. The last count was about 4,000 lives, and Luke Lucyszyn and Bryan Young in July, Stephen D. Zabielski in May, and Willy Cancel in April.
In the initial stages of the war, Ukraine lost about 9,000 troops, with more than 7,000 missings, according to official Ukrainian statements, though the numbers could be higher.
Partridge was born in Germany to a Red Cross aid worker and a member of the U.S. Air Force.
His mother, Terri Hepworth said, “All he knew growing up were flak jackets, M-16s, guard dogs, and seeing NATO exercises. That was his world, and it never left him.”
His family came to support Partridge’s decision to volunteer, stating that as members of the Mormon Church, they understood his spiritual calling.
Hepworth said, “I had never seen him happier than in Ukraine. He found his purpose not in the fighting so much as in the saving. Sometimes, with the civilian world, he just didn’t mesh.”
His father added, “He did what few of us are willing to do — he just packed up and went.” He was always willing to help. He was a hard worker, and he certainly cared about his family.”
Hepworth added, “He struggled in life, but once he got into the military, he found his element.” “His call sign was ‘Bird’ — Dane Partridge, call sign ‘Bird.’ So when you see a bird, think of my son.”
More on this story Washington Post:
When he was 3, the family moved to Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, and he grew up “in the dirt with his friends, playing Army guy,” Corry said. They later moved to Rexburg, Idaho, where he decided to join the Army shortly after graduating high school. His family members remember him as the boy who packed extra gear on Boy Scout trips and tried to save stray dogs — even after he was bitten and needed a rabies shot — and as a man with a talent for fixing cars and electronics.
After high school, Partridge served as a turret gunner and a driver of armored vehicles in Baghdad during the Iraq War, according to Matt Reeves, one of his sergeants. Reeves recalled him as a young man with a “bit of a temper” who quickly transformed into a “fine soldier” who would engage others in intellectual discussions about religion.
Partridge separated from the military in 2012 with the rank of private first class, according to his father, Dennis Partridge.
Partridge had decided to continue fighting even after he was wounded by shrapnel from a trip wire this summer. His wife and five children — who range from age 2 to 15 — were able to say goodbye via a video call while he was in a coma during his final week.
