Edward Wilton wasn't the first American volunteer to die fighting in Ukraine, but he may be the youngest. He went there just after the war started last April. Another American soldier fighting in Ukraine said of Wilton, “He was so young, but immensely brave. Fearless. We’d need three guys to do any task, he's always going to have his hand up. He was as mature as anybody I've ever known,” said Joshua Cropper, another volunteer from Alaska. Bakhmut has been the scene of the heaviest fighting of the war, with thousands of casualties on both sides.
Source: Scripps
A US national from Marianna, Florida died April 7 fighting in the area of Pakhmut, Ukraine, according to ABC News.
Edward Wilton, 22, served in the US Army. Wilton's half brother Parker Cummings told ABC News that Wilton informed him about his plans to fight in Ukraine through a message sent from a plane in which was headed to Poland April 10.
“My brother was very selfless. My brother was very honorable and traditional," Cummings said of Wilton. "He cared more about freedom for all than for his own safety. Edward was a true hero and he will be missed until we see him again.”
Joshua Cropper told ABC News he fought with Wilton in Ukraine's International Legion between April and early July 2022. “He was so young, but immensely brave. Fearless. We’d need three guys to do any task, he's always going to have his hand up. He was as mature as anybody I've ever known,” said Cropper.
