It’s been months since the formal invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. While there have been numerous efforts in the name of humanitarian aid, a woman working in Syracuse takes us down a less traveled road with a unique perspective.

“When people hear Ukraine for the first time they think about the country that is 70% to 90% white. And I think that I am a very clear evidence that it is not quite true," said Linh Nyguyen, who was born in the capital of Kyiv.

Nyguyen's parents are from Vietnam and found refuge in Ukraine. Nyguyen says, as a Vietnamese-Ukrainian, she spent years embracing who she is in a nation defending itself from invasion far before 2022.

“People kind of missed out on the point that we have been at war and against Russia for the past eight years,” she said.

Before she found herself in Syracuse, she worked with veterans and Ukraine's government getting first hand accounts of the atrocities of war.

“I would go out and brief on how many people died every day, which really affected me I was really young that really changed my perspective on current affairs,” she said.

Nyguyen isn't sure how many friends she's lost overseas over the months, but as she's safe on American soil, she is putting every effort into what she knows working in the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University.

“I'm grateful that the universe gave me an opportunity to serve both Ukrainian vets and American vets," she noted. “I take it as a mission because for me, my current work really resonates was what I value as a human being.”

She's also part of a network taking up collections, monetary or direct donations of tourniquets, more than 500 life saving tools have been collected, sent to Western Ukraine and distributed to units in hotspots. The key for these donations is quality.

“My perspective as a person who has experienced war firsthand, and who have seen people being blown up and bleeding out and to less than three minutes,” she remarked. “You can be a paramedic was a full bag of stuff. But if you have an open Wounded Warrior laying down there and you don't have a tourniquet, there's nothing that you can do.”

For Nyguyen and so many others humanitarian aid is appreciated, but far from the most important.

“A lot of the monies and a lot of the mindset of giving is to support something that does not contribute to death. Yet when you talk about war, you need to understand that the metric of war is death," she said.

Months go by and Ukraine is still in the thick of it fighting tooth and nail Ukrainians like Linh will continue to advocate for all the help they can get.

“Don't let Ukraine fade away from your mind because right now what my people are doing is fighting for more than just our country,” she said.

Nyguyen stresses that this is a wide-cast group effort. It takes the generosity of those to donate money and tourniquets, the logistics to get them delivered and the bravery of those on the frontline who may very well have to use them.