Comm. Beauchamp talks former alternate scholar, present Ukrainian politician

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — As the invasion continues, many are pleading for the security of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, and for Wichita County Commissioner Mark Beauchamp, one member of Ukrainian Parliament makes all of this hit nearer to house.

It was a future leaders alternate program nearly twenty years in the past that created this bond that now has Beauchamp glued to the information on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“I knew she can be particular, she was destined to be one thing large,” Wichita County Commissioner Mark Beauchamp mentioned.

Halyna Yanchenko, a present member of Ukrainian Parliament, as soon as lived right here in Wichita County with Beauchamp and household.

“Gosh, I simply keep in mind nights, we might keep up till two, three o’clock within the morning and she or he would educate me about international politics, as a 16-year-old. She was already so intuned with issues,” Beauchamp mentioned.

Part of a U.S. State Department program with former soviet nations, the then-high schooler from Ukraine acquired her first style of native politics and United States tradition proper right here in Texoma.

“For her birthday celebration, we did a 60s theme and all people dressed, she went to promenade, she was each little bit of enjoyable loving baby that acquired concerned in every thing America. She had the identical degree or delight for her nation that we do right here for not solely our nation, but additionally our state specifically, and she or he wished to make a distinction,” Beauchamp mentioned.

Upon returning to Ukraine she got down to just do that.

“And she was doing that, she had taken what she realized beginning proper right here on the Wichita County Courthouse in teen courtroom and taking it again to her nation and being elected to parliament and was making a distinction,” Beauchamp mentioned.

But after Russian invasions and seeing Yanchenko’s plea for assist for Ukrainian residents on nationwide tv, the Beauchamps are anxious for somebody they nonetheless think about a daughter.

“As actually, her dad her in America, it hurts. It’s horrifying to listen to the tales and see the messages, the little snippet messages we’re getting and seeing the ache and anguish they’re going by along with her two little kids and placing them to mattress and listening to bombs go off round them,” Beauchamp mentioned.

Beauchamp hopes to see extra steps taken by the U.S. authorities to assist Ukraine within the coming days because the battle doesn’t really feel hundreds of miles away for some.

“We have a variety of success tales and she or he was our shining star. She was, is, doing precisely what she was introduced right here to do and it hits house, it’s not a world away. It impacts those who had been right here in our group, regardless that the bombs are dropping hundreds of miles away the bombs are primarily dropping on us, too,” Beauchamp mentioned.

Beauchamp says they’ve continued contact with Halyna since this all started. Follow Halyna’s Facebook web page for updates.