#50 After Dark - Boots On The Ground In Ukraine: Providing Critical Disaster Relief To Those In Need with Mark Turner

Mark Turner is a former U.S. Marine, owns a BJJ school and is the founder of the Overwatch Foundation. His foundation recruits, trains and deploys highly trained former special operations military veterans to areas of disaster to provide critical disaster relief and high value humanitarian support to those in times of crisis. Some of their work occurs right here in the U.S. but in this conversation we cover his trips abroad. Mark has traveled to Ukraine 5 times with his crew. His story is compelling, and he has a different perpective having had boots on the ground. So if you have been wondering what is really going on in Ukraine you are going to want to listen to this podcast.

Timestamps:
00:00 Mark Turner Bio 
01:58 Background 
07:18 How The Overwatch Foundation Started
17:09 Biggest Problems In The Job
25:08 The Florida Trip 
32:17 The Overwatch Crew
37:56 On The Ground In Ukraine
49:14 Strategies
01:05:51 Military Missions
01:12:33 Tactics During The Mission 
01:16:47 Training The Ukrainian Army
01:25:35 The Current Ukraine Situation 
01:37:22 Basic Supplies 
01:50:22 What Has To Happen For A Change In Ukraine 
01:57:57 What Is Next For The Overwatch Foundation
02:03:15 How To Reach Out And Get Involved

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About The Overwatch Foundation: https://www.overwatchfoundationusa.org/

The Overwatch Foundation was born from Mark Turner’s boundless desire to help. As a former Marine, and combat veteran from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Mark was called to use his skill to volunteer to offer humanitarian aid where needed.

The initial mission, even before the Overwatch Foundation was formed, occurred when Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana in late 2021. Then Mark and the team mobilized to assist with the Afghan refugees. This work planted the seed for a structured organization that could be called upon regularly to respond in times of natural disasters or humanitarian crises.

​The Overwatch Foundation was officially established when Mark Turner found himself being driven to help once more. This time the call was an international mission to Ukraine. Mark's good friend and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu student Yuri is a native of the now war torn country. A couple of days after the Russian invasion began in early 2022, Yuri was deeply concerned for his family back home. Yuri shared the news that he would be returning to Ukraine to ensure the safety of his family.

Within a matter of hours, Mark was accompanied by another highly trained military veteran and they were on an airplane headed to Ukraine. The mission was not only to accompany his good friend home safely, but also to provide humanitarian efforts where they could. After multiple trips to Ukraine using teams of different special operations veterans the team then mobilized to assist in relief efforts of Hurricane Ian in 2022. 

Mark understands first-hand the everyday challenges that U.S Veterans in our country face. Through his experience, Mark decided to combine his passion of helping people and his love for his fellow U.S Military Veterans by creating a non-profit that would serve a dual purpose.