PROJECT DYNAMO
By Andy Simmons
Project Dynamo’s Bryan Stern (above, in black coat) with Ukrainian EMTs and Alex Spektor (in scrubs) after rescuing Spektor’s newborn twins; and at left with some of the many others he helped save
Alex Spektor was nervous. He was in Poland near the Ukrainian border about to meet his twin sons, Lenny and Moishe, for the first time. The boys were just 10 days old, born prematurely to a surrogate mother in Kyiv. The day before, on 24 February, Russia had invaded Ukraine. With the country under siege and his undersized babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) requiring oxygen and constant monitoring, Spektor had no clue how he would get them home to Chicago safely.
Then he heard about Bryan Stern. The Army/Navy veteran runs the nonprofit Project Dynamo, which sends combat vets—all unpaid volunteers like Stern—into war zones to rescue Americans and allies trying to flee.
Though 14,000 people were already seeking Stern’s services, when Spektor reached out to him Stern recognized just how dire the situation was for Lenny and Moishe.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
From the King's Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi
Pushpesh Pant, one of India’s pre-eminent food writers, is back with a comprehensive food history of the capital.
Who Wants Coffee?
It’s bitter—but beloved around the world
Prevent The Pain Of Shingles
You don't have to suffer, as long as you take two important steps
The Best And Worst Diets For Your Heart
Dozens of diets are touted as ‘best’, but it’s easy to lose track of the fact that healthy eating needs to be about overall wellness, not just weight loss.
ME & MY SHELF
Journalist Sopan Joshi has worked in a science and environment framework for nearly three decades. His book Mangifera indica: A Biography of the Mango (Aleph Book Company) synthesizes the sensory appeal of India's favourite fruit with its elaborate cultural roots and natural history. He writes in English and Hindi.
SWITCHED
In 1962, nurses at a small Canadian hospital sent home two women with the wrong babies. Then, 50 years later, their children discovered the shocking mistake.
ECHOES OF THE PAST
A VISIT TO THE ANCIENT BARABAR CAVES IN BIHAR REVEALS A SURPRISING CONNECTION TO A LITERARY CLASSIC
Fathers of the Bride
A young woman finds a unique way to honour the many men who helped her survive her childhood
Fiction's Foresight
British-Bangladeshi author Manzu Islam's works reveal startling parallels to recent political upheavals in Bangladesh, begging the question: Besides helping us make sense of our world, can stories also offer a glimpse into the future?
It Happens ONLY IN INDIA
The Divine Defence Picture this: A tractor in Rajasthan‘s Banswara district,a group of loan agents closing in to seize it and the defaulting farmer and his family standing by.
