For Falmouth Family, War In Ukraine Feels Close To Home
More than 4,500 miles away in Kyiv, the Russian conflict in Ukraine is boiling over. On this side of the Atlantic, many will likely not think of this as an immediate threat, perhaps especially those nestled on the cozy peninsula of Cape Cod. But for Day and Kathie Mount of Blacksmith Shop Road, West Falmouth, the threat of war in the capital city of Ukraine felt a lot closer to home than most.
“We have a son-in-law who was working at the American Embassy in Kyiv,” said Ms. Mount. “He’s a State Department employee, a foreign service officer. They were there with their three boys who are 10, 12 and 14. Not that young, but young; and old enough to really be affected by this.”
In late January, Juliet Johnson and her sons had to evacuate Kyiv and return to Washington, DC, upon an ordered departure. Her husband, Timothy Johnson, followed two weeks later. Without much of a warning, the family had to leave behind what had become their home over the past year and a half, without so much as a goodbye to their friends and neighbors.
“[They] didn’t have any kind of closure,” Ms. Mount said. “They actually were due to move [in August] with the State Department on to their next assignment, so they would not be going back to Kyiv most likely, unless the situation gets much better.”
Moving to Kyiv, Ukraine, during the COVID-19 pandemic had been difficult in and of itself without the increasing threat of a Russian invasion, but the Johnson family made it work. The children had made friends despite the challenges imposed by social-distancing measures; Mr. Johnson got to work at the embassy, which involved Ukrainian outreach in support of American policy; and Ms. Johnson settled into life in the capital, getting to know the locals and even running in a marathon in Kyiv.
“She finished [the marathon], so we’re very proud of her,” Mr. Mount said. “It was a great event. We have pictures of her, everybody’s out there on the streets and it kind of looks like the Boston Marathon [but] not as big. All the Ukrainians were cheering their friends and their neighbors on, and it just gives you a sense of, ‘Yeah, these people aren’t so different from us.’”
The Mounts are no stranger to the lifestyle of a diplomat—Mr. Mount, a career diplomat, served as a US ambassador to Iceland in the late 1990s.
“We kind of understand what that’s like, but it’s very difficult,” he said. “It’s very stressful, and as the situation got more and more serious, then you get more and more concerned. And, of course, when you’re here, you don’t have access to all the information you do, if you’re in an official position.”
Leaving the Ukraine had been something that both families knew was imminent, but with so much uncertainty, the past four months had consisted mostly of worry and stress with very few answers. With the help of Zoom and other forms of electronic communication, the families were able to at least stay in touch during times of uncertainty, which both Mr. and Ms. Mount were grateful for.
“It’s an enormous hassle,” Mr. Mount said. “It is anyway, when you’re moving internationally or making a big move. An evacuation, of course, is very unusual and then when it happens, there’s a lot of pressure. People didn’t know how soon the Russians would do what, so it’s very stressful.”
When the evacuation orders were finally passed down, the real journey began for the Johnsons. Ms. Johnson’s marathon training came in handy, as she and her children ran from one connecting flight to the next. After a few missed connections and reroutes, the Johnsons made it back to the DC area safely and lived in a hotel until they got their bearings.
“In the beginning, they didn’t know; they thought they’d be back for a month, two months at most,” Ms. Mount said. “It’s still an unknown, but it’s clearer that they’re probably back for the duration. We’re just so thankful that they’re back here and that they’re safe. I think that it’s very hard for them.”
Now, the family is settled into the DC area, and the children are in schools. The oldest child is still attending online courses for his international school to stay on course with the international baccalaureate program, but online learning at a school with students now displaced all over the globe has proven to be a challenge.
The oldest son is still in touch with his Ukrainian friends, Ms. Mount said. When the Johnsons attended the demonstration in solidarity with Ukraine on Sunday, February 20, their son was able to share photos of the large showing of support for Ukraine with his friends who are still there.
“It’s just kind of fun how in today’s world, you can do that kind of thing,” Ms. Mount said. “His friend can know that people care. I know that it’ll mean a lot to him because he’s just been in tears when he reads the news.”
The Mounts attended a showing of solidarity with Ukraine at the Falmouth Village Green on the evening of Wednesday, February 23. Having been pulled together by leaders in the Falmouth faith community just the day before, no one was sure how many people would turn up.
Ms. Mount said she would be happy if just four or five people came. By 5 PM, nearly 40 people were gathered on the Village Green, armed with signs, flags and electric tealights to show solidarity with Ukraine in an interfaith showing of support for peace.
“I thought it was a fabulous turnout,” Mr. Mount said, standing at the point of the Village Green, proudly waving a Ukrainian flag. “These are all people that care. These are leaders in the community who are here, so they’re taking the message further, too. I love the way the pastors organization can get together and do something that isn’t hung up on any particular faith; it’s just all of us together.”
The Mounts said that they will be sending photos of Falmouth’s demonstration to their daughter down in DC to show that there is support here on Cape Cod, too.
“It’s important, we think, to show solidarity, to show that people here in this country, we have the same values,” Mr. Mount said. “There’s a moral issue here, and might does not make right. Beyond that, there’s a practical issue [of] countries that go around changing international borders by force of arms, that has an impact on us as well. Maybe not immediate, but over time it certainly does.”
It is important for Ukraine to feel that there is support elsewhere, the Mounts said. They find themselves wondering about the citizens of Ukraine who are still there, the people who lived and worked alongside their own family.
“There was a young woman who helped them walk the dog and cleaned the apartment,” Mr. Mount said. “What’s going to happen to her and her daughter? What are their prospects? We just don’t know yet. We don’t know how far this is going to go.”