Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:
Someone needs to put that graphic on a vintage Pontiac Trans Am. 
Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:
Someone needs to put that graphic on a vintage Pontiac Trans Am.
In reply to stuart in mn :
Hear me out...
"Ghost Pontiac" 
VikkiDp said:More updates are coming soon...
Have a good weekend everyone
Glad to see you on here Vikki, and I love the vacation photos!
Some news real quick from over the weekend. Yaro got his delivery!
No joke, Yaro washed his only pair of trousers for the occasion (and now he has a second pair!!). A huge shout out to Cathrine there in the first photo. She's a volunteer from Germany who uses her vacation time to stay in country and assist where she can. If we ever needed proof that there are millions of people from around the world in Ukraine right now then she is it. Completely unexpected was the IFAK she brought with her. I was absolutely beside myself when I saw it in the pictures.
We are still trying to organize unit support for the 25th airborne so hopefully we'll see some results from that as well.
Happy Monday, everyone!
Current Paypal Balances:
Mothers and Babies Fund (Gmail) Get Vikki a Generator Fund: 35,000huf (or about $100)
Yaroslav's Uniform Fund (Yahoo): $50 (it's a USD account)
GoFundMe is Open and can be shared: https://gofund.me/a11d14eb
Also for sharing are our social media links:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/510575651154518
https://www.instagram.com/dniproexpress/
And our very own website:
Cheers everyone!
-Bill
In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :
The trademark moan of a thirsty Q-jet deep in the secondaries would complement a humanitarian aid blitz quite nicely. Just saying. And not for nothing, but you can make a 403 Olds flat get with the program.
On the other hand, you think you're desperate for WOG and OKKO stations now...
In reply to DarkMonohue :
I gotta be honest. I should have never looked for that car... (It's in Hungary)
Hi everyone!!!
The electricity situation is gotten a little better
I'm back to my workplace - where in addition to a bunch of work tasks that waiting for me and that I need to do, there's a generator that allows me to stay connected and post updates, which i'm about to do 
First, Moms and kids fund continues its work
One of the our babies has a B-day this month. So B-day gift, diapers and some baby food are on the way to this little beauty and we're waiting for some cute photos 
The fund's report below
Thanks to everyone who supports this effort
The next one is about Adopt a medic fund news.
The meds delivered and as i mentioned before we have a good discount at the pharmacy 
After, i did a little math - we have 961.32 uah left!!! I was going to order some meds supplies for Dr.Julia.
but then what Bill wrote about happened... and i asked him if we could help our pilot.
We can - he replied!!!
Yesterday (after 4 days of zero comms) I got word that Captain V's squadron took a strike. Luckily everyone survived. Captain V was in the building and escaped in rubber slippers and the clothes he was sleeping in (basically, shorts). All paperwork, documents, phones, clothes, uniforms, and drones were completely lost. He was able to borrow a couple clothing items from other soldiers (they do try to help each other out) but obviously the need has increased significantly.
...
It's worth noting that VikkiDp had 900uah ($22USD) left over from our "Adopt a Medic" fund, and she asked if she could help by porting that his way. I answered in a way that stated "yes" without question and also implied that she was crazy for asking. I know it's not much but I'm hoping it will get our Captain something he needs.
I ordered some meds that can support his health and the health of his friends around him - bandages, absorbent cotton, antiseptics, antibiotics, painkillers, stomach medicines, etc.
Hoping to get this all out today/tomorrow and get it shipped where it needs to go as soon as possible.
Have a good time everyone!!!
In reply to VikkiDp :
Here hoping the electrical situation keeps getting better before the weather starts to take a turn for the worst. I'm sure there are a lot of good people working tirelessly on getting those services restored. Here's wishing them the best.
Everyone:
I'm going to be in Ramstein Air Base for the next month (this is why our "back to school" run is going to be in September this year). I've been probing any outlet I can to try to organize a fundraiser or a donation drive while I'm in the area. Of course I'll have the truck with me, but I thought it would be a darn shame to be at one of the largest US bases in Europe and to come back empty handed.
So far nothing solid has come of it, but I haven't given up yet. I'll also be bringing enough things with me to keep busy working on the truck to make sure she's in top condition for the run. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going.
Fingers crossed!
OH! carp. I thought we shared these, but it's looking like we 100% did not.
Both of our Annas have been sending us back photos of their art work!!!!!!
First, here is Anna from Dnipro:
And here's our Anna from Bahmut!
Everyone! Dr. Julia's unit is making headlines:
https://youtu.be/voMVSd0minE?si=MHIAlQi_jYPbZGja
However you choose to do it, please wish her the strength she needs. 💙💛
VikkiDp said:...we have 961.32 uah left!!!
but then what Bill wrote about happened... and i asked him if we could help our pilot.
We can - he replied!!!
Yesterday (after 4 days of zero comms) I got word that Captain V's squadron took a strike. Luckily everyone survived. Captain V was in the building and escaped in rubber slippers and the clothes he was sleeping in (basically, shorts). All paperwork, documents, phones, clothes, uniforms, and drones were completely lost. He was able to borrow a couple clothing items from other soldiers (they do try to help each other out) but obviously the need has increased significantly.
...
It's worth noting that VikkiDp had 900uah ($22USD) left over from our "Adopt a Medic" fund, and she asked if she could help by porting that his way. I answered in a way that stated "yes" without question and also implied that she was crazy for asking. I know it's not much but I'm hoping it will get our Captain something he needs.
I ordered some meds that can support his health and the health of his friends around him - bandages, absorbent cotton, antiseptics, antibiotics, painkillers, stomach medicines, etc.
Hoping to get this all out today/tomorrow and get it shipped where it needs to go as soon as possible.
Hi everyone!!! I hope you're doing well!!!
A little news about our pilot - i picked up the meds last week and sent them to Yaro today. It took some time because his unit was changing locations.
Hopefully the meds will help him and his friends stay healthy and they keep doing what they're doing
I apologize, i forgot to take a pic at the Nova post office when i shipped the box 
Have a good week everyone!!!
In reply to VikkiDp :
OOH! 10 IFAKS heading his way as well!!! I forgot to update everyone that you and I were working on some side projects!
Everyone:
Viki and I have been working our thumbs off on our phones to tackle a few side quests. The first is, we got 10-IFAKS sent to Yaroslav's unit (25th Airborne)
In addition, we may have a lead on three brand new drone batteries heading to 74th Recon.
Currently in work is trying to crack open Ramstein Air Base for a donation drive, and I've received a request from the 24th Convict ("The Redeemed") Battalion for energy bars and water purification tablets. A volunteer from the UK is helping coordinate (and is 100% the reason Yaro's unit got the IFAKS) so I'm doing my best to try to return the favor.
Current Paypal Balances:
Mothers and Babies Fund (Gmail) Get Vikki a Generator Fund: 44,000huf (or about $120) Please specify in your notes which bucket you'd like the money to go to.
Yaroslav's Uniform Fund (Yahoo): $75 (it's a USD account)
GoFundMe is Open and can be shared (currently at $150): https://gofund.me/a11d14eb
New: Donation Boxes in my office: 20,000huf ($55 USD)
Also for sharing are our social media links:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/510575651154518
https://www.instagram.com/dniproexpress/
And our very own website:
Cheers everyone!
-Bill
Note: Tomorrow is the transfer date for Vikki's Mother's and Baby's July Fund
I hope this isn't a distraction from the good work Bill and Vikki are doing...
I follow a Ukrainian musician named Serge Tiagnyriadno, I believe he lives in Kiev. He used to be a member of a Russian band called Leonid and Friends, who do amazing covers of Chicago and other US bands (and have been more or less on continuous tours of the US recently, I think mainly to get the heck out of Dodge), but he left that group several years ago for obvious reasons. Anyway, he has his own YouTube channel these days and has also been raising funds for medical supplies. If nothing else, his musical talent is worth checking out - this is a link to his latest video, a cover of the Beatles Long and Winding Road. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMDzvM297zw
In reply to stuart in mn :
Hey, thanks for sharing that i've never heard this guy before - he's a cool singer
I've already posted here before - there's a Ukrainian band who making amazing covers of world hits, but they sing them in Ukrainian, adapting the lyrics. And they do it very well - in my humble opinion.
I even went to their live concert, which was awesome!!!
P.S. last two videos - i filmed at the concert 
in the first one they're singing - "We're warriors, warriors of the world"
You know - music is one of the things that keeps us going and stay strong
Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:I forgot to update everyone that you and I were working on some side projects!
Everyone:
Viki and I have been working our thumbs off on our phones to tackle a few side quests.
I'll be honest - i'm glad that we can do all those thing!!! it helps so many people and maybe saves someone's life!!!
So let's keep going!!!
In reply to VikkiDp :
I ordered some meds that can support his health and the health of his friends around him - bandages, absorbent cotton, antiseptics, antibiotics, painkillers, stomach medicines, etc.
Yaro received the meds yesterday
Hi everyone!!!
lots of things going on, so it's the work in progress and we look forward to updates soon.
Have a good weekend everyone!!!
In reply to stuart in mn and VikkiDp:
Man, I really needed those videos. They were a nice break from the action out here recently. I was hoping for a better update by now, but I guess it just wasn't in the cards.
Right now I'm on Ramstein Air Base (the largest air base in Europe) and I was REALLY hoping to get some visibility on our efforts with the ultimate goal of getting some donors in to see our GoFundMe. I met a fellow veteran in the area who runs a taxi service (AnytimeExpress) and together we figured we could his network connections in the command with our well traveled path into Ukraine to make our pitch.
At first, said command members were "very receptive", and we had in-person meetings set up for Wednesday of this week. Our truck was so excited, that she went in for a full detailing!
But unfortunately that was delayed until Thursday, and then eventually kicked to a whatsapp group chat that I'm not a part of.
I'm not surprised. My entire life I've done crazy crap, and I've LONG had enthusiastic friends who showed initial excitement completely disappear when it was time for rubber to hit the road. I'm just bummed it happened with people in such positions this time. We were talking about donation boxes all over base, and lots of long-standing visibility on our efforts from people I know who would REALLY like to help...
But alas.
Of course, they never outright said "no", they just started getting cold feet. It started with simple requests "We need a mission statement"
Ok, I can do that. The following was typed up and sent out within minutes:
You can see I included Helge in there as a subtle nudge to say "hey, we've done this before".
Once received though, they asked for a full on powerpoint presentation. Something short and to the point.
Again. done. 5-pages, with mission statement, lots of pictures, very specific as to what we were doing and why.
Then they vaguely stated they needed "paperwork" but never gave specifics. That's when it went to the whatsapp chat. 
We're still trying though. We didn't get this far by turning around at roadblocks, and we're not going to start giving up now.
Quick mobile update for you guys. Short story long, I brought that transmission I removed for "noise" with me so I could keep work going while I was away.
Enter: Ramstein Auto Hobby Shop.
8 hour thrash. Looks like the clustershaft to front housing bearing race was toast. I didnt bring rollers with me to replace those as well, but I dont think it was required. I also used the best of the bearings I had for re-assembly. Split shaft bearing was replaced, along with a few others. Input shaft (known weak point on the W56) was not, but there was nothing wrong with it.
The guys at ths hobby shop? Blew their minds 🤣🤣🤣
At the end, they were going on and on about how I could be doing this for a living (I guess one guy just paid $2700 to have his trans rebuilt). They apologized profusely for charging me money to use the bay ($80), but man, $80 is a lot cheaper than $2700 and now we got a spare trans 🤘🏼
Alright. I gotta get. I'm beat up from the street up and this beer is goin right to my brain.
Happy Saturday, everyone!
Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:... the clustershaft to front housing bearing race was toast.
That dirty so-and-so!
Glad you found that. And now you know what you're in for if you elect to go back and replace the rollers before pressing it into service.
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