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Willy Joseph Cancel, age 22, formerly of Orange County, was killed while working with a private military contracting company when he was killed on Monday, April 25, CNN reported.
Cancel, a former US Marine, and a corrections officer in Tennessee, signed up to work for the company shortly after the war broke out a the end of February, his mother, Rebecca Cabrera confirmed to CNN.
"He wanted to go over because he believed in what Ukraine was fighting for, and he wanted to be a part of it to contain it there so it didn't come here, and that maybe our American soldiers wouldn't have to be involved in it," Cabrera told CNN.
Cancel flew to Poland on Saturday, March 12, to fight alongside men from “all different countries,” Cabrera reportedly said.
Cancel's mother was told by those who notified her of his death that his body had not been found, CNN said.
A State Department official said they are "aware of these reports and are closely monitoring the situation," CNN reported.
Cancel was married and the father of a 7-month-old, his mother said.
He was living in Tennessee for work but is originally from Orange County, Devin Tietze Jr., his brother-in-law confirmed to CNN.
His mother told the news channel her son "always put everybody ahead of himself."
"He was just a really thoughtful person. He always put everybody ahead of himself even when situations were so stressful," Cabrera said of her son. "He always kept everybody laughing and calm. He was the man that stood up when everybody else stood back."
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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