To Serve a Cause Bigger Than Himself: Story of Robert Pietrangelo, Military Volunteer Killed on a Battlefield in Ukraine

On Aug. 18, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walked into the White House alongside seven European leaders to meet with President Donald Trump. For Ukraine and its allies, the message was clear: They needed reassurance that the United States would stand firm in supporting the global fight for freedom and democracy.

After the meeting, Zelenskyy announced that a “coalition of the willing” comprising at least 30 nations was preparing a package of security guarantees for Ukraine. “Some are going to help Ukraine with money for the army, some with weapons and air defense systems, some—with troops on the ground. It’s a complicated question with many components,” he explained.

His words carried a different weight for those grieving, proud families who lost their sons not because they were sent to fight, but because they chose to. These Americans were not deployed soldiers; they were volunteers who traveled to fight for what is right. One such brave soldier was Bobby Pientrangelo.

“He was a miracle baby. He was born right before Christmas, on the 14th of December. And he ended up becoming perfect,” says Dana Fancher, Pietrangelo’s mother. Bobby was born with a condition called hydrops fetalis, which can be fatal in 75%-90% of cases. He spent five and a half weeks in the neonatal unit. Dana prayed that he would grow up healthy and strong enough.

“And when he finally got home, I’d change his diapers and help feed him. So he was like a son to me,” says Michael Pietrangelo, Bobby’s eldest brother.

As the eldest, Michael felt like Bobby looked up to him. “When I was in the Marine Corps, he actually came and visited me on base to experience some of the machines we use, the weaponry,” he recalls. “I think it was at that moment Bobby realized he wanted to be a soldier and that experience really led to his decision to go and fight.”

At the age of six Bobby enjoyed listening to World War II veterans talk about their experiences. “They also taught him how to have good manners and how to show respect to elders, parents, and others—not just through words, but by the way they carried themselves,”says his mother.

Bobby Pietrangelo joined Boy Scouts Troop 354 when he was five, rising to Eagle Scout before he turned 18. “He was an old soul. He knew much. He appreciated so much more than you would expect at a young age,” says Evelyn, mom of Bobby’s friend from the Boy Scouts.

Bobby was always ready to help others, no matter the cost. He volunteered as a firefighter for the Silverdale and Perseverance Fire Company in Souderton, Pennsylvania.

Bobby’s family on his mom’s side are sons and daughters of the American Revolution. They descend from George Clymer, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. “We have a strong sense of fighting for freedom and rights,” says Dana.

When the war broke to Ukraine in 2022, he traveled there to aid in humanitarian efforts. Bobby helped rescue and recover the injured and deceased from bombed civilian areas, including a maternity ward. “He was ‘Mom, it would be like if they came right into your town and took over your house and did things to the women and children—or killed them.’ And he said, ‘I can’t let it happen, we have to stop them,’” says Dana.

Bobby always was trying to get in the U.S. military, but he couldn’t get in because of his health condition. So traveling to Ukraine and joining the army there made him really happy. “It’s what he wanted, and he lived his life doing what he wanted to do,” says his uncle John Detweiler

Bobby joined the Ukrainian military in April 2024 for training and then became official in July 2024 when he got his contract and military ID. “He was very proud of becoming a part of the Ukrainian army,” his mother remembers.

In October 2024, Bobby was injured from a mortar dropped by a drone onto his bunker. That drone attack that left him with a severe concussion and brain injury. After, he was awarded the Iron Cross for Bravery Under Fire. “I was so proud of him, and I said, ‘You got your medal, you come home.’ ‘No, Mom,’ —he said—’I’m staying until the end.’”

True to his character, he returned to the front lines as soon as he was medically able.

Bobby was deeply rooted in his faith. Before each deployment, he would ask his family, girlfriend, and friends to pray for him. Whether or not they shared his beliefs, they prayed—because Bobby inspired that kind of love and respect. He had the Bible with him that Dana gave him. ”I felt terrified, I cried every day for a year and this last time when he went I knew I would not see him again, and it just broke my heart.”

Robert Pietrangelo was supposed to be on leave for Christmas 2024, but it got pushed to January 6, when the war ramped up and he was deployed on a mission. In the early hours of Jan. 3, 2025, Bobby and his friend, Jordan MacLachlan of Scotland, stood side-by-side defending the approaches to Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine. Together, they fought, gave their lives and died as heroes. “He knew how dangerous his last mission was in Pokrovsk and insisted that he would not leave his fellow soldiers and that it is his duty to go.” Dana says.

Bobby’s name was entered into the Congressional Record, which gets transmitted to the National Archives, making him permanently part of American history, forever etched in history for the sacrifice that he made for a people that he didn’t even know, but that he loved. “He was fighting to serve a cause bigger than himself, a testament to the character with which he was raised, the community and the family that raised him,” says Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.

He gave everything not for glory, but because he believed in justice and the dignity of every human being.

“He left peaceful life to help our people—first rescuing injured civilians, then delivering critical supplies to our military, and finally joining the fight himself. He is a true hero,” says Capt. Volodymyr Denysov, a Ukrainian Naval attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, D.C.

Bobby Pietrangelo’s body remained on the battlefield, but his loved ones chose to honor his life—not just his death. A Celebration of Life was held on July 26, 2025. “The family really needs this for closure,” said Pastor Dorothy Shelley. “It’s been a long journey since January—especially for his mother. This isn’t full closure, but it’s a beginning.”

His blended, loving family remembered how Bobby would just make everyone laugh no matter what. ”He always had a wonderful joke to tell, and if you were feeling down, he was the very first person to get down on the floor and act like a goofball and be just silly, so that he could make you smile” recalled sister-in-law Nikki Pietrangelo.

“Just looking at Bobby’s picture, you get the impression of an angelic, soft and gentle person,” said Bishop Borys Gudyak. “We thank the Lord for his life. We pledge to remember Bobby, remember him forever.”

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