A Brit volunteer in Ukraine: looking back on seven months' service

[@scottp4357]

A couple of my mates from school are squaddies and ex-squaddies and it's pretty uncanny how they all tell stories the same way as this guy.

[@ClintThrust-e8r]

Almost like they went through some form of basic training 😉

[@dracovenit9549]

Are they Northerners?

[@ThyCorylus]

​@@dracovenit9549 almost certainly

[@terraspent]

Are you french? @@dracovenit9549

[@julianscaeva4334]

@@ClintThrust-e8r They have story-telling training?

[@zimbobway3137]

Your interviews with this chap are some of the best I’ve ever watched in my life. Hats off to both of you

[@MrGlenn253]

Fez off you mean

[@scepticsquirrel]

Does he ever say why he wears? I could not catch up if he did.@@MrGlenn253

[@leonardgmiller8924]

Why bloody gender studies there is only 2 male and female if you were born male you are male so that's it nothing more to learn that's my degree

[@mongol33t]

theatre

[@theprimordialvoid]

@@mongol33talways see comments saying this guys full of sh#t but never any evidence to back it up

[@napoleon6221]

Instant click when I saw this come up, love this dude I’d listen to him tell stories about anything all day.

[@KateKosmo]

He has a YT which he uploads pretty often from Ukraine which is where he is now. BigMac BattleBlog.

[@ИльяКонстанта]

Exactly, tell stories. Not facts or true events. I know this guy too and he is not the kind of guy I wanted by my side when I was getting shot at. The legion was filled with these ass hats, all the real soldiers got the hell out of there as soon as they saw who was let in.

[@napoleon6221]

@@ИльяКонстанта what’s wrong with him? Genuinely asking as someone who’s never been a soldier

[@ИльяКонстанта]

@@napoleon6221 He’s lies and over exaggerates everything. He’s not a terrible dude or anything and I truly believe he means well but when your getting shot at and your life is on the line you want to know the man next to you is a solid mf thru and thru. I saw another comment saying he’s still fighting and idk whether that’s true or not, I left the legion for another unit but I have a very hard time believing anything that comes out of this guys mouth. Just being honest. Out of all the outstanding soldiers who have come to serve here they could have found a lot better of a person to interview. There were a lot of these types here and a lot of them had good intentions (but not all) but as a soldier with previous experience it’s very unnerving to have your life depending on someone like this.

[@napoleon6221]

@@ИльяКонстанта I definitely understand that, I’m a coal miner and while ofc it isn’t as intense you’ve still gotta trust your crew with your life. Ig I kinda ignored a lot of obvious over exaggeration at first because it’s quite common in coal miners’ stories, I’m guessing the culture for soldiers must be a tad different in that aspect lol.

[@pablononpicasso1977]

I love Jo's tongue in cheek humour "She might have 100% honest with every penny...but, you know, it seems unlikely"

[@Volken321]

28:35

[@saltpeterjunky]

I was listening to this video while half asleep and 12:38 scared the shit out of me. Other than that, I'm glad Joe is fine and even has his own blog from back in Ukrtaine now.

[@AimlessSavant]

Sensual Lloyd hours are indeed very frightening.

[@pn4960]

Terrifying

[@just4fun607]

kinda sus

[@olddirtybasterd-ex2vb]

The back of those flavor packs resemble condoms - I was like dear god Loyd where are you going with this, then he said it was a flavor packet

[@KäptnKrückschwank]

„I never looked cool“ 😂

[@Convoycrazy]

Great interview, Joe’s style of sarcasm explaining the horrors, inconveniences and truths of European War is both entertaining and educational. I look forward to reading his book. Thanks for having him on again

[@ИльяКонстанта]

He’s also a pathological liar, I know this guy personally and I don’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth.

[@fussylex]

He is a total Walter mitty

[@JordanNoahh]

Humor game strong 😂❤

[@goodlife6277]

​@@ИльяКонстанта😂😂😂Really ?

[@uku4171]

​@@ИльяКонстантаsure you do 😂

[@maxua-gg]

Big Mac is back!! He’s got his own channel now but these conversations with Lindy are truly a gift! Thank you and warm greetings from Kyiv. It’s really cold day today

[@KarlKarsnark]

Why aren't you defending your country?

[@ColHoganGer90]

@@KarlKarsnarkMaybe he‘s not defending his country in the trenches but by doing something equally important? I don‘t know but I‘d rather not judge.

[@KarlKarsnark]

@@ColHoganGer90 Making YT vids about war LARPing is in no way "important", and fighting against, or on behalf of a country that isn't your own is just plain pathetic, especially considering it's Putin and Zel, in particular. Imagine killing, or dying for 2 corrupt, little, manlet "Russian Olgiarchs" ;) LOL! Your life has to be less than worthless for that to seem like a wise thing to do with one's time on the planet. LOL!

[@rocksmo3384]

Only a small percentage of Ukrainian men are at the front. Most are needed to keep the country running.

[@KarlKarsnark]

@@rocksmo3384 "A small percentage" is still thousands and thousands of useless deaths. Sadly, none of them are yours ;) If it's such a "worthy endeavor". You do do it and pay for it yourself......Yeah, I didn't think so ;) Back to your cuck box, Boy.

[@steveclarke6257]

Ok it takes a certain sort of person to volunteer for a war that is not theirs. People did it in Spain in the 1930's (from many places) , other people join the French Foreign Legion etc. to get into a warzone. Their motive to do this is their own, in some cases they have seen too many films and think they will have the same plot armour as film stars. Listening to his first hand account here is important, in the story there is the good, the bad, the stupid, the funny, the downright incompetence he saw and brutal honesty on himself. As he says himself his brain is already mushing the facts around and its still very recent for him. I hope he gets/finds a good editor to assist him with the book. To make it more publishable and appealing or its just going to look like a raw "stream of consciousness" diary that will be difficult to read. Hope Its going to help him with the loss of friends he has had during the fighting, honouring their memories and making sure that there not just another faceless casualty in a distant war. Wishing you good luck.

[@TransRoofKorean]

Here in the US a lot of our Revolutionary War heroes were those who left behind their wealthy aristocratic upbringings to hop on a ship and sail over here just to help out.

[@sillysad3198]

@@TransRoofKorean some people have a very sharp sense of justice, unlike the topic-starter.

[@user-uc4vg4rg9e]

Trans what mate?😂

[@user-uc4vg4rg9e]

​@@sillysad3198 agreed

[@durbeshpatel3047]

This is different, doomers and propaghanda sponges joined. Ukraine is not any better than Russia, so you get brainwashed zealots fighting

[@g.w.customcreations3534]

Lloyd - thankyou for platforming this man. His experiences are invaluable. Big mac - fuckin love you mate. All the best for you & your family. Much respect. 💪🏻

[@cookml]

Pretty sad that he is on a wrong side of history thought. Quite likeable character though, I agree.

[@justmehello5543]

@@cookml what should he be robbing washers and dryers like a toilet water drinkin' vatnik?

[@g.w.customcreations3534]

@cookml how is he on the wrong side? He's defending a nation from aggressive communism, and doing what he believes to be right. I don't think we should be involved realistically, but Ukraine is the border between the barbarians and the last truly Conservative country on earth, and we need to defend that with all we can.

[@aaronleverton4221]

@@g.w.customcreations3534 Hmm, let's see now, how did all those comments on the very first (phone) interview go again? Oh, that's right. "Hey, Lindy, don't you know that there are actual NAHTZEES in Ukraine?" No proof supplied, just dumb, easily debunked questions. The fact that the statement says "...a wrong side..." and not "...the wrong side..." should tell us where the comment is not coming from.

[@paulmarine5055]

I love listening to this guy, the utter farcical nonsense he spouts is hilarious. The fact he calls himself a veteran 😂 and schooling the world on the benefits of CQB training when his combat experience consists of sitting in a hole by a river for a month. What a Walter 😂😅

[@Xavierrrrrrrrrrrrrrr42069]

That’s crazy that Joe is gonna speak at the EU delegation

[@BigMakBattleBlog]

I dropped the ball on that. Ho hum can't win em all

[@pn4960]

Hopefully he will mention that woke bullshit about the mines charity. Because that’s crazy.

[@philippdunser3573]

Maybe there are to many people with that degree😂

[@марияц-х6ъ]

as a ukrainian, before the war i used to love your channel and binge watched tons of videos. haven't really thought about what you do in a while, but decided to see what you're up to and I'm pleasantlly surprised. thank you for spreading the word, and thank you to Big Mac for being there.

[@q-tuber7034]

Lindy is an outstanding interviewer.

[@mo45327]

He literally stops the person who was actually there from speaking his mind on the problems within the Ukrainian armed forces and the Legion.

[@ionutgroza6318]

@@mo45327 go to sleep serbian sc:..:m, you're drunk again..

[@hagestad]

And has a hat that can be very well suited as a drone landing area.

[@WalkerMasuda]

In the spirit of constructive feedback, I feel that Lindy interjects sarcasm or a facetious remark at inopportune times for these Ukraine interviews. It breaks the flow of the interviewee's narrative and pulls them out of their story as they have to assess and respond to the sarcasm. It does work when they're on the same page, but yeah, I'd rather those moments be replaced by earnest commentary or a more passive demeanor.

[@markb8468]

​@@WalkerMasudaagreed! They both have good bantering

[@davidhughes4089]

I feel like there's some other reason they didn't want this guy - the idea that a social sciences degree is a requirement for landmine clearance doesn't pass the sniff test. They probably require you to be a graduate or have some HR experience managing people (not ordering conscripted people to do something) and he's presenting it as this. I could be wrong but if it sounds off then it usually is.

[@lukerhode8960]

Describing military leadership as "ordering conscripted people to do something" is as inaccurate as I can imagine.

[@chemputer]

​@@lukerhode8960I hate it when people zoom in on the wording of something that ultimately does not matter and then complain about it being inaccurate. Did you want him to write four paragraphs to be "accurate" (and someone would *still* complain) instead of a sentence? I don't get it. I mean, it's reductive, but the type of leadership he would've been doing (and described himself as doing) isn't that far off from that concept than what an officer or properly trained NCO would be doing planning, strategy, organization, etc. He has leadership qualities but leadership experience? I don't know, his experience in Ukraine is hard to quantify for an HR person I would imagine.

[@davidhughes4089]

@@chemputer thank you, you put it better than I did

[@lukerhode8960]

@@chemputer But the field of mine clearing surely has the same dire seriousness of military leadership. He was a British serviceman before and the Ukrainian Legion is an all volunteer force. I'm saying that the leadership is not that different.

[@benjaminguilatcoiv]

Plus he's wearing that red fez hat of a Shriner.. top filthy skivvy Masons.

[@jasonpears7207]

I love Joe. Solid guy and someone I enjoy listening to.

[@justinandrewespie]

Delighted to listen to Joe again

[@lfcmike12]

A comment about the very last part of the video, about bravery; Yes BigMac is very bloody brave. Bravery isn't the absence of fear, it's the ability to carry on despite the fear.

[@FreshGreenMoss]

Stupidity is running off to fight in a war you know nothing about. Any bravery he felt is marred by the fact that he's a mercenary thrill seeker.

[@thisdrinkinglife]

Fighting for NATO and military industrial complex, yeah very brave😊

[@ohajohaha]

​@@thisdrinkinglifeand for Ukrainians and their freedom

[@dorkangel1076]

@@FreshGreenMossIf getting paid is the criteria, then every soldier who isn't an unpaid volunteer is a "mercenary". Pretty sure bravery isn't a feeling either. It just one of the ways you react to feeling fear.

[@lfcmike12]

@@thisdrinkinglife I'd say it's pretty brave, I wouldn't sit around being shelled by anybody for a country I didn't have to protect, much less one of the strongest nations on the planet. But maybe you're right, it's so much more brave to sit on your arse watching youtube :o

[@dannyboy-vtc5741]

Donkeys and horses we used in croatia during the war, in dalmatian mountains, especially during the winter offensive, the winter beforw the operation storm, there was no other way to get the supplies there. Also we managed to put some t 55s due to their light build, at almost 2000 meters elevation, that thoroughly surprised them, nobody expected tanks there in mountain snow. Also the casevac was problematic in the mountains high up, so we built from wood a fully functional field hospita that was burried under two meters of snow, but with full medical teams, operation room and all to stabilise wounded and if need be doing complicated procedures, winter time in the mountains, with snow and bura storms, medecav helis are more time useless than not. You always have to adapt in the war, granted we already gained few years of experience and knew what to expect.

[@BigMakBattleBlog]

interesting

[@richardjames9091]

Necessity is the mother of invention

[@okm8750]

Pozdrav! Im Croatian. I thank you for your service. Its interesting how a person can adapt to such harsh enviroments. Mountains full of snow... or the -20 degree celsius fields in Ukraine during a war. I heard about donkeys and horses being used, my professor actually was in one of those battalions that used them. 300 of them were in our military. A war is won not by the glow of the weapons, but the courages hearts of the Hereoes! Slava Ukrajini i Slava Hrvatskoj!

[@ArifRWinandar]

If there's one thing I remember from this interview is that donkeys and wheelbarrows are the new technicals.

[@lukacsnemeth1652]

Sir, you got yourself a reader whenever the book comes out. Thank You for your service!

[@Kenjitsuka]

Big fan of your channel, Mac! Hope more people from here join!!!

[@karnovtalonhawk9708]

it sounds like the world lost a good young man at the loss of Ben. dont blame this guy for coming home after fighting a war he volunteered for. far more than the rest of us have done.

[@leod-sigefast]

He is actually back fighting in Ukraine now, since June! He is on the frontline in Kherson with a Territorial Unit. He has a youtube channel: BigMacs BattleBlogs.

[@andersjjensen]

@@leod-sigefast Thanks for the info!

[@dimatut007]

Helping nazis is very useful activity.

[@sillysad3198]

@@leod-sigefast what a man!

[@sillysad3198]

@@maszk9743 cringe harder, Ivan!

[@xetra21]

LLoyd/Joe could you post when the book is available for pre-order please. Listening to Joe's explanation of his time in Ukraine was compelling and I'm certain the book is going to be just as amazing. Cheers

[@Biervampir92]

Looking forward to the book, I'll definitely be buying that. Thanks Lindy. Thanks Joe for your service.

[@KarlKarsnark]

Service, to whom, Dear?

[@soopermun3442]

​@@KarlKarsnarkto american proxy, i guess

[@KarlKarsnark]

@@soopermun3442 America is paying for it ALL, as usual, so we have a right to know where our money is going, don't we?

[@KarlKarsnark]

Why read the book? You can still go volunteer yourself! It's really "cool" and "neat" and "fun" and "exciting" and "manly", just like "Big Mac". LOL! No really, "put up, or shut up". Go fight this War yourself, or stop cheering from the sideline, you coward.

[@MrMaiaBang]

I make your words, my own! Thank you BigMak for your service.

[@GloriaHoulihan-z4n]

So glad that you are back safely Joe. The fez meets the Arran! I hope you are able to complete your book and Good luck with it. You would be a good character for Emmerdale! 😊

[@somersethuscarl2938]

He's back on the line in Kherson ... He even has a KZbin blog channel about it

[@dr.fistus94]

"joes battleblogs" here on youtube

[@leod-sigefast]

Joe has said this was filmed almost a year ago....he is currently on the frontline back in Ukraine!

[@SalyLuz-hc6he]

@@dr.fistus94 It’s actually BigMacs Battle Blog.

[@BigMakBattleBlog]

@@dr.fistus94 youtube.com/@BigMakBattleBlog?si=qJXRCwH3iLRAq9UQ

[@anthonywestbrook2155]

In case you missed it, BigMac is back in Ukraine, and he needs our help! He's a drone pilot now! Go to his channel, and at the very least, watch some videos. But if you can afford it, help get him more/better drones. If you want to keep him safe, help supply him and his team! (I just transferred what I could afford this month).

[@musikmedravnen]

We all know this is a lie, lol.

[@mrman5566]

@@musikmedravnen Kremlin scumbag detected

[@james82184]

@@musikmedravnen idi nahui zalupa

[@user-uc4vg4rg9e]

If hes a drone operator then best of luck to him, hope he isn't too affected when the wars over.

[@durbeshpatel3047]

I doubt hes a drone operator hes a toy soldier and probay canmot handle that job, it is actually very dangerous

[@leotilson942]

Good to learn that Mac is writing a book. He is one of the best storytellers I know.

[@sigisummers3328]

Love this bloke! Thank you for all you do and have done. Besides all the tough war stuff he had me in bulk. Cheers from Germany

[@Vigilant76]

Ive watched each of these a few times, First off, what a great interviewer, easy to talk to and no stupid questions, second this man is an absolute uber Chad.

Sincere thanks for this priceless relation. Cheers to both of you!

[@chrisj683]

I love how Lloyd had to move him on when he became heated once or twice.

[@FGCmtg]

Love this guy. So happy to see him again. Thanks both, wishing you both the best.

[@jonno27]

These interviews are excellent. Not only a slice of living history in the making, but also very clear and frank discussions on the day to day reality of the war. I have been following Joe's channel since he started it, and very much look forward to buying his book.

[@korkor2595]

Hey man, nice to see you're in one piece. We had a nice conversation in Katowice Poland in June when you were on your trip to UA. All the best!!

[@BigMakBattleBlog]

Hello, I remember, I was very drunk, I got my own channel now,

[@korkor2595]

@@BigMakBattleBlog wooo, you were drunk?? I thought I was :) Remember, Spurs rules :) Lovely to see your channel!

[@lindybeige]

Go to tryfum.com/LINDYBEIGE and use code LINDYBEIGE to get a discount off your order today. Joseph McDonald was back from Ukraine for an update. This volunteer with the International Legion talks about why he left the Legion (he has since returned to fight in Ukraine, but not with the Legion), how some old military technology still works fine, how corruption in the army undermined the men's efforts, a near blue-on-blue, how the contracts for service made recruitment and retention difficult, his own shortcomings, his current efforts at recording his experiences, and proposed designs for new military gear. Joe has since returned to the front in Ukraine. He now has his own KZbin channel : www.youtube.com/@BigMakBattleBlog. To donate to Joe directly via Paypal, use this address: PayPal [e-mail]. If you'd like to donate to a fund for supplying those fighting for the defence of Ukraine, you can do that by going to one of these websites: www.spotfund.com/story/5a971fab-1f19-42b6-b2e3-82a16a02ea9c?fbclid=IwAR0B_7ANPfcHw4JO2OIM4veJC_HWpnqH3QPNFD6Wa2TvK3jXdFrQOinuD8w&SFID=veteransfightingforukraine ukrainedefensesupport.org/donations-to-defend-ukraine/ More news about Joe's book when we have it.

[@christiandauz3742]

I'm surprised the UK hasn't offset Brexit by sending paid volunteers to Ukraine from 2016 to 2022

[@penguiin12]

thanks for leaving in the lame troll/rage bait lindy. very mature and level headed decision right there... im sure ALL landmine clearing volunteer orgs are telling people to get a 'gender studies degree' or whatever stupid shite he said. if you werent some angry old dude mad about trans people you wouldve edited that out

[@gijosh93]

yes now i only breathe flavored air oh ho ho

[@nb6175]

Joe's youtube account changed to BigMakBattleBlog. The one you have in the description leads nowhere.

[@scowell]

The YT link for Joe's channel is 404... perhaps you can fix this? I tried YT Search, not much help.

[@DenethorDurrandir]

Thanks for taking your time again to share these on the ground accounts of the war, will be looking forward to the book, if it gets translated, I'll definitely be gifting it to my father.

[@JimJonesKoolaid]

This is tops. I love Joe’s candor nature

[@sehornesminn501]

I've been slowly losing my cohesion troughout this video, until I got hit with "Big Mac's Battlebarrow". Lloyd, Joe - you guys are absolutely amazing!

[@Tony_P]

He reminds me of Dave Lister from Red Dwarf. 🤩

[@MrScrollsTooMuch]

Crossed with blackadder. He's great.

[@KingDomsKingdom85]

Smeggin' 'ell

[@davidlemor]

Take care Joe, may you me happy knowing you’ve answered the call for help of the Ukrainians. Big hugs, take care

[@deadpihto21]

Many thanks to Britain in general and you two, guys. For help, volunteering and for this series of interviews. Hello from Kyiv.

[@johnfadds6089]

Nice good boy post, the SBU is pleased.

[@Ditka-89]

Are you guys willing to negotiate at this point?

[@joek600]

I might know your mom

[@richardjames9091]

Hello from a brother and third generation anti fascist in northern England . I hope you are all well .

[@Cba409]

@@Ditka-89dead men dont negotiate

[@countdooku1363]

Bogdan got kicked out when 2 months into Kharkiev he also brought his son as second in command , Cheers from 3th .

[@tonydownunder5703]

If the book is anything like he’s interviews it will be a bloody good read 👍👍👍👍

[@Vova3iLvova]

This ''Brit volunteer'' sure deserves his name in the title, give the man recognition he deserves(unless he never disclosed it and doesnt want to), Ukraine is eternally grateful for your selfless service to a country you never had to help defend, thank you.

[@danielchapko902]

please make these as 3 hour long multiple interviews. they are too good. Super interesting!

[@JohnBorgJacob]

great info, appreciate it, hats off to Joseph McDonald

[@mattnewey2912]

Love BigMac cant wait for the book. Wish you all the luck in the world mate

[@MartyJWinkler]

You're a great man, BigMak

[@MrLaedu]

Thank you both!

[@ReganAtSea]

i enjoyed this but his comments about applying for a job in a land mine charity betray a misunderstanding of what these existing land mine charities are (as well a reactionary view on progressive politics around gender). landmine charities like MAG and the HALO trust are mostly white western-run organizations that employ first-world westerners as managers to teams of local workers (who have their own supervisor structure). yeah, it's post-colonial vibes. but if he wants to work on the actual disposal teams for MAG he would have to go there and apply for the locals' jobs, not apply to head office in London. from head office's perspective the social science degrees are useful if your job is managing foreign workers doing a potentially very dangerous job in a different culture.

[@battleb0ng420]

ok interesting, i was wondering about this because i had a hunch it was more nuanced than he believes it to be

[@herbiehusker1889]

If it's not in line with progressive policies it will work better.

[@davidhughes4089]

@@battleb0ng420 there's got to be more to it than he says

[@timstadlmueller58]

Thanks for adding needed context, I did a double-take at that part of the video.

[@Jeougi]

Maybe he missunderstood what he was signing up for? I assume there is enough locals for field work so a manegerial and administrative position would require a social science degree.

[@jamesrice6096]

Writing about things is so a skill within itself. I remember when writing for my degrees when I passed the word count for Moby Dick, and War.and Peace. When I pull up those papers now with rememberable of how brilliant they were, I read them again and see that they are complete sophomoric crap. Writing is hard like running, the hardest part is getting out and doing it. You do get better. Don't stop. Your story is worth it.

[@timstadlmueller58]

I really needed to read this, thank you for writing it.

[@saltech3444]

I am writing a novel now, and I was surprised to find that its word count was about the same as Fellowship Of The Ring.

[@jodawgsup]

You definitely have more reading to do if you think word count means fuck all. I'm not surprised though!

[@davejewell9366]

Joe , I wish was as stoic as you. When you’re book is out, I’ll purchase it. You are a legend.

[@raulbluesman9463]

Since the interview Wagner is no more, BigMac is in ukraine again. He's got balls of steel this man.

[@BHPproductions1]

It's wild that he says he was more or less happy to leave the war. I checked his KZbin channel and looks like he's still fighting in Ukraine. Take care of yourself, BM.

[@SalyLuz-hc6he]

He was getting a bit burned out with how things ran in the Legion. He’s not with them any longer, but there are many different units in Ukraine working under the authority of the Ukrainian Defense Department. He may still do demining later on as the ruSSians left many decades of work to be done clearly landmines. Joe went back to do something different. He trained on FPV drones, and is very busy at night in Kherson on the Southern Front along the Dnipro River. I’m glad you found his KZbin channel, BigMac’s BattleBlog. If you saw the interviews with Brandon Mitchell, he is also down in Kherson & posts very interesting videos on his channel!

[@Ponyo3816]

OMG! I'm So HAPPY! Joe is still with us.

[@ulfhedtyrsson]

He's got a channel

[@hashbringer975]

​@@ulfhedtyrssoncan't access it anymore.

[@SalyLuz-hc6he]

Joe‘s new KZbin channel it’s called BigMac’s BattleBlog. Brandon Mitchell is down there also, and they are both busy at night on the southern front of Ukraine.

[@BigMakBattleBlog]

​@@hashbringer975youtube.com/@BigMakBattleBlog?si=qJXRCwH3iLRAq9UQ

[@HumanityisEmbarrassing]

Dear Lloyd, you are a fantastic interviewer. All your videos are great. Big Mac is a very good storyteller. We all need more Lindy Beige content ❤

[@KateKosmo]

When was this filmed? Has to be a few months ago bc I know Big Mac is currently in Ukraine & has been for a decent time now. I watch his Yt frequently, BigMac BattleBlog. He's definitely a character.

[@haku_haku_haku]

yeah his youtube is great lol

[@ELaden2661]

I'd imagine if he were in Ukraine there would be benefits in it not being public.

[@LoreTunderin]

@@ELaden2661 he's making it public himself, just not giving away his exact location. Giving regular updates is a good way to keep donations coming in.

[@Obolix101]

any chance you can link it? the link in lindy's description isnt working @@haku_haku_haku

[@KateKosmo]

​@@ELaden2661no he is in Ukraine & he uploads almost daily. He doesn't hide it.

[@MetalAriel]

I love this kind of content. Thanks for producing this Lindy…!

[@74wrighty]

Honesty. Its refreshing and I have Hugh amount of respect for it. Plus Volunteering for a very good cause. Thanks.

[@ClintThrust-e8r]

Great to hear from Big Mac again, he's got good chat.

[@jrnmller1551]

Thanks Joe and Lindy, Joe should pursue a career in entertainment or stand-up, he will be perfect!!!

[@cookml]

Or he could have a family, but probably it’s too late for him.

[@Vatniks_are_clowns]

I love your interviews!

[@H0kram]

Big Mac wears whatever is typical from his last travel, a true british. Good to hear from him and thank you Lloyd, it was a beige interview.

But is it a thing for British people to do? I wonder.

[@rodrigogoncalves6165]

This guy is a legend! He rocks!

[@KarlKarsnark]

Yes, his stupidity, silly hat and gullibility are "Legendary". LOL!

[@Faeron1984]

Idk about legend. A mercenary with stories.

[@trppstar]

He seems like a loser tbh

[@rodrigogoncalves6165]

@@Faeron1984 So is El Cid, and many other historical caracters

[@KarlKarsnark]

@@Faeron1984 A stupid pudgy looking one at that. Something tells me "Big Mac" couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag that was carrying a Big Mac.

[@EvilPoet85]

Do more interviews Lindey. This is great stuff.

[@ComradeCommissarYuri]

I wonder if he would interview Lord miles?

[@mastersKaaP]

The pistol is a weapon of a police officer or civilian, not a soldier. It's a weapon that is more convenient to carry when you want to have a weapon, in case you need it, but you don't expect to be using it. The only people in the military to who it would make sense carrying a pistol is military police, special forces and as a survival tool for pilots (smaller to pack into a cockpit and could save your life from a wild animal in a forest if you had to eject for whatever reason in a remote area). For special forces, I mean as a backup weapon for the guys going in the trenches or buildings behind enemy lines who might encounter the enemy at ranges where a rifle could be unwieldy and to whom saving a second in pulling a sidearm instead of reloading might literally mean the difference between life and death for you and your squad.

[@brownnoise357]

Ignorant uneducated nonsense sadly, the correct Calibre Pistol or Revolver loaded with the Correct Ammunition, is the only thing that can break the assault of Drug razed attackers at close quarters. That is why the Webley .455 cartridge and revolver was designed, and forvthe exact same reasons, John Moses Browning designed the .45 ACP Cartridge and the Colt 1911 Pistol for it. As a side note, the .44 Russian, and the Smith and Wesson .44 Special, can be loaded to provide the same Fight Stopping Ballistics. like the .38 Special, 9mm is a total failure in that needed role. Look it up. 🤔eta : you would probably shocked to discover the number of Banzai attacks broken by the use of Colt 45's in the Pacific, and the number of Hill hsttacks broken in the Korean War by the Colt .45 ACP. Then idiots in procurement imposed the switching to bloody useless 9mm which kills ok, but has diddly squat energy transferring Stopping Power. Ballistics have always, and will always Count, and all Valuable Lessons, starting with the Boer War efforts of Redvers Buller to get to grips with how to fight a Modern War, have all been deliberately ignored ffs man even a Rifle that should never be allowed anywhere near a Bsttlefield has been thrust into the hands of our troops. that is a Rifle with a Bullpup configuration. Let's see if you can work out some of the serious reasons why that is so ? 🤔

[@ionutgroza6318]

@@brownnoise357 I'd rather have a 9mm instead of having nothing when in need

[@fus132]

@@brownnoise357 You do realise that soldiers at the front all wear kevlar and plates which stop basically everything below rifle rounds? It's the year of our Lord 2023, catch up please. 🤡

[@Kestrel-777]

I heard that officers traditionally carried pistols because the only soldiers that they should ever need to defend themselves from or shoot are their own.

[@off6848]

@@brownnoise357 You're full of sheet fudd lore.. There are 9mm loads that far out perform .45. Also 9mm doesn't get stopped by a car door or window like .45 does.

[@Dj.MODÆO]

Watching joes recent uploads you really see the change in the poor guy from all the TBIs and the trauma. I really think he needs to be rotated out before the old Joe is gone for good.

[@dmmmwerd]

From the start, somehow I knew Nance was full of it. Glad to finally hear it from someone who would know.

[@scottjordan6694]

These interviews are great. Good job.

[@gloriahoulihan8717]

Well done Digger Dave 🎉🥳🥳🎉🎉🎉 🏅😊 I volunteer garden and fully know that value of a wheelbarrow ! I have painted names on ours 😄

[@bigman7856]

Friend of mine fought in Ukraine for the past 10 months. He came back and went back after getting married to a Belarusian girl. He finally returned once again and he has a lot of stories about the war. He came back once he realized that things weren’t going well at all. At least for his unit. They would’ve been sent in as minced meat for a suicide run if he didn’t get out in time.

[@Joesolo13]

The initial rush of free gear has really petered out unfortunately. Very generous with getting rid of their old ex-soviet stuff and dated NATO equipment but it's obvious it's been slowing to a trickle.

[@CentauriSphere]

That's just how the war is unfortunately. The so called 'suicide missions' are the standard for many units, due to russia's advantage in numbers. We have to give more aid quicker.

[@bigman7856]

@@CentauriSphere it definitely wasn’t standard until the end of summer/start of fall. As you say numbers effect the situation

[@FreshGreenMoss]

@@CentauriSphere " More aid quicker " ? If you think it's so important, why aren't you out there putting your life on the line ?

[@KateKosmo]

​@@FreshGreenMosslook yall we've got a Russian troll thats trying to make as much money as they can by trolling every comment on this video!😂

[@wilco3588]

A late friend of mine was building Allison aircraft water pumps in Indianapolis when he was drafted for World War II he was trained to use pack howitzers with donkeys in the mountains of italy. But by then the war in Europe was over so we sent to the Philippines for the invasion of japan. He got there just in time for the end of the war and became an occupation for sergeant with one of the first and one M1 carbine automatics. Their first job was to destroy Japanese aircraft in the winter and they lived in a very very cold Japanese aircraft hangar in pup tents!

[@cliveramsbotty6077]

i don't doubt your sincerity, but without some evidence i have a hard time believing you need a gender studies degree to work with land mines.

[@PropagandalfderWeiße]

Well if the last few years have taught me anything, then that despite this being batshit crazy, it is still very much believable

[@mitchconner403]

@@PropagandalfderWeißeI am guessing that he at least needed a college degree, but to graduate from college you need to take social sciences. He says, “you need a degree in gender studies to disarm land mines” as hyperbole When in reality he means you need a college degree that requires like 12 credit hours of social sciences, which could be gender studies depending on the class selected at registration

[@JohnyG29]

​@@mitchconner403You don't need to take a social studies class to graduate from University. He is referring to the fact that within a university environment you are subjected to a lot of that nonsense.

[@mitchconner403]

@@JohnyG29 In the United States at least, that is how it works. I had to take at least 16 credit hours of social science classes to get my degree is Computer Science There are all sorts of weird caveats like that. For example, I had to take 3 semesters of a foreign language even though it really has nothing to do with computer science

[@Subutai_Khan]

@@mitchconner403 It must depend on the university cause at mine they just wanted you to take some credits outside your faculty and the requirements would depend on what field you are in. Then again I am in Canada. For instance for my BA in history I had to do an entry level language credit, a bit outside of history (like archaeology and classics which I picked as it made the most sense) and relatively few outside the faculty itself (naturally that tends to be a basic science course or two but it’s your choice.) Even in the arts program I never had to touch gender studies.

[@PaulNelligan]

fuckin' hell, I clicked on this link. And it turns out that Mr. Joseph here is a man I once spent a good deal of time with. I can say from experience that Joseph is a righteous, classy and funny lad, and after not seeing him for some time, it's nice to see him landing in a good place in his life and who he is.

[@durbeshpatel3047]

Lmao nobody cares, your aquaintence is dufus whos probably skimming all the cash he can before he bails

[@GreyFox474]

HE'S BACK!!!! Man, I love this guy, can't waitr to actually watch the video.

[@baggerjanus]

Always happy to see Joe on here. Will definitely be picking up that book.

[@aiyengar]

🤣on Lindy's anguished faint moan upon hearing about the "nice frenchman" @35:10

[@FreshGreenMoss]

He's such a stereotype.

[@homebrandrules]

thankyou Lloyd, i hope i also get to express my gratitude to you as well as joe....

[@mickieg1994]

I really enjoyed these interviews, just a fascinating look at the war from the people who have actually been there, I think Lindy makes a great interviewer too, so Id love it if there were more of these coming.

[@TheGunnarRoxen]

BigMac is a hero. Also, a great interviewee and really fascinating to learn from. Thanks for featuring him again. I'm so pleased he's okay!

[@nevermindmeijustinjectedaw9988]

so happy to see joe mcdo all good, the last notes about him were a bit discouraging

[@LoreTunderin]

This would have been filmed quite a while ago. The best place for updates is his KZbin channel Big Mack's Battle Blog

[@SalyLuz-hc6he]

@@LoreTunderin I believe this was filmed in the early spring of 2023. By late summer both Joe and Brandon we’re back in Europe. I hope you can find their channels and follow what they’re doing on the Southern front now, in Kherson near the Dnipro River.

[@redhairdavid]

Love these talks. So intresting to see

[@lewischatburn7899]

great video lloyd, glad to see more of joe.... these are really interesting

[@rocerist]

thank you so much for this

[@benjohnson4604]

God bless us another episode.

[@mcolville]

Oh fuck yeah man, look at that bookshelf! Runequest, CoC, 3E, *4E*! A+ shelf. Oh also good video! :D

[@johnnygreen1376]

Well done Joe. I've watched all your interviews and feel proud of what you've done to help defend the freedom of Ukrainian people.

[@KarlKarsnark]

So "proud" you'll be joining them? No, of course not. LOL!

[@TimChuma]

Is not even just drones, was a remote controlled machine gun position underneath a freeway underpass the Russians could not dislodge. There have been a lot of remote controlled mining vehicles already.

[@nunyabeeznutz5286]

Just want to say as excited as I am to read this chap's book, I would tremendously love a audiobook of him reading it as well!

[@ELYELYELroy]

note to self, they dont sell yellow tape in russia

[@jonathanbinns5725]

Great interview as usual, Magyar has made an evacuation delivery trolley based on a sackcart. I'd have a look at that and make something better. It's a solid piece of kit mind.

[@ResonatorProductions]

Glad to see him back safe. Hope good things happen for him and his comrades.

[@ptonpc]

Thank you for you Big Mac. Good hunting and stay safe. Slava Ukraini!

[@Vova3iLvova]

Joseph McDonald thanks you for your help.

[@Joeligma69420]

Hell yeah brother. UK is Eastern Europe’s greatest ally. Love from 🇪🇪

[@GaiusCaligula234]

Like in 1939 😂😂😂

[@aw2584]

​@@GaiusCaligula234 well yes, Britain couldve easily just sign a peace pact with Germany after France fell, fighting seemed pointless but they decided to go on against all better judgement. If not for Britain DDay would never happen, Soviets wouldnt be able to get as much support, and most likely we wouldve all been enslaved by Germany for god knows how long and as a Pole, considering that Hitler wanted about 90% of us to be wiped out and the remaining 10% enslaved or germanised in the case of blond blue eyed children... yeah thats as good of an ally we couldve gotten during WW2.

[@Featinwe]

16:49 if I ever create my own company and will be in need of a good advertisment i have to remember about Lloyd... this is completely brilliant, best ad on YT ever. No other advertiser proposes improvements to the product while advertising it at the same time xD

[@ionutgroza6318]

please do more interviews with him, he and his experience are awesome and very interesting !! he's also very pleasant in saying his experiences !

[@leod-sigefast]

He has been back on the front line in Ukraine since June. He has a small youtube channel: Bigmacs battle blogs.

[@ionutgroza6318]

@@leod-sigefast hmm, he literally said that he returned from Ukraine and he is not going back to Ukraine as an active soldier but might working as a sapper to help Ukraine in that matter. He also said he is going to have a speech at some EU meeting. I assume that this interview was taken recently so how do you know if he went back to Ukraine to fight ? don't think he changed his mind so soon.

[@localvetUK]

​@ionutgroza6318 Joe is back in Ukraine and is currently a trained drone operator collecting donations for his brigade, KZbin (bigmacs battle blog)

[@carlcramer9269]

Your wheelbarrow reminded me of an anecdote. My father did his military service here in Sweden during the war - Sweden was not in the actual war. A comrade of his used to work with lumber, and he had a padded shoulder pad, that he used to carry planks on. In the military, he used this to carry a machine gun - which officers saw and stopped. :o About donkeys: It seems the US research on robotics realized they were only making louder slower donkeys that required more supplies. :o

[@danielvermeere7916]

respect for this guy . he went and put boots on the ground .

[@EricDraven-ci8wi]

Hang in there Joe! You're a good guy. And you've done your part. No one could blame you for wanting to take a long break from all this, and going back to Ukraine once the war is over to help them rebuild.

[@majorhumbert676]

How's it going with the graphics novel about the punic wars? Did you finish it yet?