Jerry Gill, former EMT, Army vet and Old Saybrook firefighter — also part of a special National Guard unit for domestic terrorism — thought he had seen it all as a first responder.
That was before two stints in Ukraine, where he'd ride near the front lines in an unmarked rescue vehicle to help a stranded elderly civilian whose neighborhood was bombarded by shelling. Or, he’d travel close to the fighting to deliver medical equipment to noncombatants.
“I’ve been shot at, I’ve been shelled, I’ve been chased … luckily I’ve made it back, it’s a miracle,” Gill said last week from his Old Saybrook home.To pay for medical equipment, food, clothing and his own expenses, Gill raised around $16,000 through a GoFundMe page for his first trip. He threw in about $30,000 of his own money, he said.