Col. Brewer Back to Ukraine

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Pleasure to welcome Nebraska's Colonel Tom Brewer back to the
program ahead of another trip over to Ukraine. Colonel, good morning,
good to have you back.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good morning, Gary. I won't be here for your retirement,
but congratulations, it's great to actually get the retirement. And
now that you've got some time, we'll just take you
with us on the Well.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Thanks, yeah, I'll be I'll be on board. I just
want you to come back safe.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
You're leaving your best.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
You're leaving tomorrow with some other Nebraskans. And this is
a this is a mission for uh an orphanage over there, right,
the Nebraska's are helping with.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Well, it is, it's it's actually there's two orphanages, but
there's one it's a very specific Nebraska orphanage that we're
helping with. But we're also we've got an agmission, we've
got a medical mission, and so we're we're we're kind
of got a full plate and we're compressing it into
a limit amount of time because for some reason, everybody
wants is back for Christmas.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Right, the bombing continues at Arenda's clip, the bombing by Russia.
Then now they're now they're sending drone strikes into the
capitol itself.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Right, that's true. They've they've expanded from an occasional attack,
which they had done all over the over the last
almost forty years now to where Kiev is getting hitting
here with hundreds of drones at night. And and it's
really been sad in the sense that the majority of

(01:33):
those strikes have been on civilian targets. They're just not
targeting the military. It's all to break them arale the people.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
I thought it was odd that Kiev wasn't targeted more
the first several years of this of this war, Tom.
I mean, after all, that's the seat of government, that's
where Zelenski is. Why do you think that is.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Well? I think part of it was there was a
fear that Moscow would be hit, but Moscow was able
to build enough air defense around it where I don't
think they fear Moscow getting hit now. And and really
for Ukraine they have to spread those defenses out to
you know, there are other big cities like Kharkiev and Zaparizis,

(02:17):
so they just don't have enough air defense to protect everything.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Jim and I were talking a bit ago. The president
is uh, he's got people over there, talking and talking
them back and forth. He's got this peace proposal out there,
he says, Putin is on board with it. He's he's
criticizing Zelenski for not embracing it. What's your view of
what might be possible here with those latest proposal?

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Well, I'm gonna be a little blunt on that. I
don't believe that you as the best team over there.
I think it's uh, you know, when you take Jared
Kushner and unwisecroft and send them over to to make
the deal, they're trying to make some type of a
deal like you're you're making a real state deal, and
they don't understand that they're talking about the future of
a country and you're talking about asking them to disregard

(03:07):
the fact that they've given so many sons and daughters
in the fight that to give up all the ground
that they have, to take their army from a million
man army to a two hundred thousand man army, and
to essentially give Booting everything he wants is just not
a good solution. And I think that it's really causing

(03:28):
a lot of you know, a respect and love they
have for the American people to be in question. And
I hate that because I think we've done a good
job in some cases of helping them as much as
we could, and Europeans started to step up, and they're
doing their part finally to you know, really make sure
that they're paying for what needs to be paid for.

(03:51):
But to step away and give him what he wants
right now is really wrong headed.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
You know, if everything we're hearing about Russia and pootin
this true, that that he's he's squandering lives by the
tens of thousands and capital and the millions and billions
of dollars and hurting his country, what kind of grip
does he are there? No, are there no people in
the government over there in Moscow who can push back

(04:19):
on him to the extent that he could be ousted.
They all think this is fine.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
I think the only ones that have any chance would
be the Oligards. And you know, anybody who does push back,
whether you're a mother who's upset about losing your sons
or or someone in the government, you end up in
Siberia or dead. And and they realize that. So it's
you know, it's a sad situation for the country because
you hate to see the fact that Russia is in

(04:49):
such a horrible place. When this war is over, there
will be a shot of the country they were and
and the oil sanctions are probably the easiest way. I mean, frankly,
between you and I, if I was king for a day,
I would continue those sanctions. I would shut down that
black fleet that's hauling the oil out, and I would
give them one hundred Tomahawks, and I think that the

(05:10):
war would be over in a couple of days.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
You you're going to be in the vicinity of Kiev,
so we pray for your safety. When are you due
to come back.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
We come back on the twenty third, and then we'll
sit down with some of the folks here in Nebraska
that have been super helpful and all of these missions,
because I just remember, University of Nebraska Medical Center and
University Nebraska a College have been great about helping to
find ways for them to be able to continue to
have kind of a normal life under the conditions they're in.

(05:42):
So it's a two Nebraska effort. We got John Grenwell
from Channel seventh's coming, who's going to tell the story
of the things that we do and see over there.
Because if you go and no one tells the story.

Speaker 1 (05:52):
It's like it never happened, right, Okay, Tom, godspeed, thanks
for the time. We'll talk when you get back, all right,
Thanks Gar, you bet. Nebraska Colonel Tom Brewer here on
kfap's morning News