Christians believe that more than 2,000 years ago, God sent Jesus Christ among us to save us from self destruction. Jesus gave his life in that endeavor, hopefully not in vain.
On this paper’s Opinion Page in the July 21 edition, I made a commentary that featured a modern-day savior, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, who is boldly fighting for the freedom of his country and indirectly, the rest of the world.
I stated that the outcome of the ongoing and brutal invasion by Russia will determine not only the destiny of Ukraine but of the rest of the world. If Russian President Vladimir Putin succeeds, he will not stop at Ukraine, but will attempt to conquer adjacent NATO countries, which could trigger WWIII.
That’s why my column today is about the story of a songwriter, humanitarian and the heroic man who saved lives, John Ondrasik, who entered the scene while in Afghanistan working with elite rescue teams to bring home a few of the more than 700 remaining American citizens abandoned there. I will relate John’s words and story as best as memory serves.
As I recall, John received a call from a friend in Poland asking if he was interested in hosting a fundraiser by composing a song to bring attention to Ukraine’s plight. A Polish orchestra was planned to accompany him. John agreed and hopped on a flight to Poland.
En route he composed the lyrics and melody to “Can One Man Save The World,” which featured President Zelenskyy. Upon arriving in Poland, John was informed the world-class Ukrainian orchestra would accompany him while he sang and played in the war-torn rubble of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.
John was astonished to find himself in Ukraine — in wartime — with a world-class orchestra. He prepared for the long and arduous overland journey to Kyiv.
I watched this amazing, heart-felt performance one early morning on the only veteran, patriotic themed-TV channel available to me that I feel presents some semblance of the truth to its viewers out there. It was awesome and spellbinding.
I’m told this performance can be downloaded or heard on YouTube, and it is worth watching. Thank you, John Ondrasik, for the outstanding work you and fellow patriots do for humanity and for pursuing the preservation of peace and freedom around the world.
The success of Ukraine’s survival and defensive is absolutely essential to the defense of the rest of the world’s. We must provide all of the defensive measures requested of us; the Ukrainian leaders and the Ukrainian citizens have proven they’re willing to do the heavy lifting.
WWIII is not an option we want on the table — or we will all lose.
God bless you, patriotic readers, and your families. Enjoy the rest of your summer. Please stay safe and look out for one another.
Town of North East resident Larry Conklin is a Vietnam War veteran and a member of both the Millerton American Legion Post 178 and the Couch-Pipa VFW Post 6851 in North Canaan, Conn.
Meg Sher, executive director of the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village.L. Tomaino 
