A Marine veteran who had been volunteering in Ukraine was killed Feb. 2, reportedly while administering medical aid to civilians.
Pete Reed, 33, who had been working with medical organization Global Outreach Doctors, was killed while rendering aid in Bakhmut, Ukraine, according to online statements by his wife and the aid organization.
“He was evacuating civilians and responding to those wounded when his ambulance was shelled,” his wife, Alex Potter, wrote on Instagram on Friday. “He died doing what he was great at, what gave him life, and what he loved, and apparently by saving a team member with his own body.”
The State Department could “confirm the recent death of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine,” in a statement to Marine Corps Times.
“We are in touch with the family and providing all possible consular assistance,” the statement continued. “Out of respect for the privacy of the family during this difficult time, we have nothing further to add.”
Reed served in the Marine Corps from 2007–2011 as a rifleman, according to Marine spokeswoman Yvonne Carlock. He deployed to Afghanistan twice.
His awards included the Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal x 2, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon x 2, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, NATO Medal – ISAF Afghanistan.
After leaving the Marine Corps as a corporal, he traveled cross country and worked as a ski instructor, according to the Global Outreach Doctors website.
He began his humanitarian work in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
During the Battle of Mosul, Iraq, in 2016 and 2017, Reed treated more than 10,000 trauma patients, according to Global Outreach Doctors.
Reed also co-founded and served as president of Global Response Medicine, an emergency medicine organization.
In 2021, he received an associate degree in emergency management and homeland security from the Community College of Rhode Island, according to a tweet by the college.
He graduated from paramedic school in 2022, the Washington Post reported.
In January, he became the Ukraine country director for Global Outreach Doctors.
Irene Loewenson is a staff reporter for Marine Corps Times. She joined Military Times as an editorial fellow in August 2022. She is a graduate of Williams College, where she was the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper.
