The fiancée of a local missing veteran who joined the fight in Ukraine spoke exclusively to Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é on Wednesday saying she's doing everything she can right now to get him back home safe.
Andy Huynh, 27, of Trinity and Alexander Drueke, 39, of Tuscaloosa have been missing since June 8.
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It has been exactly a week since Joy Black says she's heard from her fiancé, Andy Huynh.
She says on June 8 he told her he would be unavailable for a few days.
Over the weekend, Black says, she started to worry when she hadn't heard from him.
By Monday, those worries intensified with a message she received from a soldier telling her Alabama veterans Andy and Alexander were missing.
"I ran to my mom's room when he was telling me some of the things and I was sitting on her bed," Black said.
"When he told me they missed their rendezvous and they were in an area that was hit pretty hard, I just started crying on my mom's bed really loudly, just sobbing because I don't want anything bad to happen to him like that.
Since then, Black says she's been trying to stay strong, but it's been really hard.
"I know that he would really want me to stay strong," Black said.
"I am trying to stay strong for him to get this word out and to try to get him back home. I am not going to lie and say that it has not been really, really hard."
The focus right now, Black says, is getting Andy back home safe.
Black says she's reached out to state and local officials, first making contact with Alabama U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt.
"I was thankful that they reached out to me so that I could try to do what I can to try to help," Aderholt told Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é.
"It's sort of uncharted territory for me, but we're optimistic that we can somehow locate these men and they can be brought home safely."
That's exactly what Black wants to hear.
"I am really glad that they are taking it so seriously and that it has gotten as far as it has in 48 hours," Black said.
"It's really amazing to me. I am really hoping we can get something good out of this."
Black says she wants people to know Andy did this out of the kindness of his own heart.
"We appreciate any thoughts and prayers about Andy," Black said.
"He went over there to volunteer because he really cares. This had been really weighing as a heavy burden on his heart for quite a while before he left. He wanted to go and do what was right."
Aderholt say he's making contact with the U.S. Department of State for their help in this.
Aderholt says he also has a call into the ambassador from Ukraine to the U.S. to alert them to the situation and to try to get them involved as well.
Stick with Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é for updates to this story.
