Americans Edward Wilton, Grady Kurpasi killed fighting in Ukraine

Two American veterans have been killed while fighting as volunteers in Ukraine, the US State Department confirmed Wednesday.

Edward Wilton and Grady Kurpasi have both died in combat, bringing the number of US citizens killed since the outbreak of the war in Feb. 2022 to at least eight.

Wilton, 22, from Marianna, Florida, was killed April 7 defending the key city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, according to his half-brother, Parker Cummings.

Cummings told ABC News that Wilton, who was a US Army veteran, told him about his plan to travel to Ukraine to fight Russian invaders while he was en route to Poland on April 10, 2022.

“My brother was very selfless. My brother was very honorable and traditional,” Cummings told ABC News. “He cared more about freedom for all than for his own safety. Edward was a true hero and he will be missed until we see him again.”

Joshua Cropper, who told ABC News he fought with Wilton in Ukraine’s International Legion between April and early July 2022, described Wilton as “immensely brave” and always willing to step up.

“We’d need three guys to do any task, he’s always going to have his hand up,” Cropper said. “He was as mature as anybody I’ve ever known.”

Without mentioning Wilton by name, a US State Department spokesperson has confirmed that a US citizen has been killed near Bakhmut, and that government officials are in touch with the family and providing consular assistance.

Kurpasi, 50, a highly decorated retired Marine officer and married dad-of-one, was last seen last April, not long after heeding Ukraine’s call for foreign volunteer combatants, and was reported missing by his family in June 2022.

The Washington Post reported at the time that Kurpasi was on a scouting mission in southern Ukraine when he and a British volunteer came under fire.

He was purportedly captured by Russian-backed separatists and charged with being a foreign combatant.

According to the description of a GoFundMe campaign started by a family friend, Kurpasi was killed in action, although the post does not say where or when he died.

“Grady went to train soldiers but due to the intensity of the war and the need for combat-experienced leaders, Grady ended up leading a squad into battle,” the organizer of the online fundraiser wrote.

Kurpasi is survived by his wife, Heeson Kim, and their 14-year-old daughter.

In response to an ABC News inquiry about Kurpasi’s fate, the State Department said: “We can confirm the death of a US citizen in Ukraine.”

According to the Marine Corps, Kurpasi left a career in computer programing at age 29 to enlist just two months after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Over the course of his 20-year service, he was deployed to Iraqi three times and was awarded many commendations, including a Purple Heart medal.

After serving as a Marine scout sniper, Kurpasi enrolled in UCLA was selected to become an infantry officer. He retired from the Marine Corps in Nov. 2021 in the rank of captain.

News of Wilton and Kurpasi’ deaths comes three months after former Navy SEAL Daniel Swift, who had deserted his post in San Diego in March 2019, was killed near Dnipro.