In a tragic development, a 38-year-old American volunteer fighter from Utah, Trevor Crane, has died while defending Ukraine against Russian aggression. His family confirmed the heartbreaking news this week, revealing that Crane was found deceased in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on January 31, having sustained head injuries during combat operations with the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine. The announcement has sent shockwaves through his community, where he is remembered not just for his courageous spirit but for his deep commitment to the Ukrainian cause. Trevor's mother, Janene Burton, who serves as a council member in Santa Clara, Utah, received the devastating news early Wednesday morning from the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. Initially, she had disregarded multiple incoming calls from Washington, D.C., thinking they were routine inquiries. "I kept ignoring the phone calls from Washington, DC. I just said, why do you guys keep bothering me this early in the morning?" Burton recounted. When she finally answered, the embassy representative confirmed her worst fears, stating, "This is the US embassy in Ukraine," leading to a chilling realization that something was terribly wrong. The embassy provided limited details regarding the circumstances of Crane's death, indicating only that he had suffered head injuries during combat. Speculation surrounds the nature of these injuries, with Burton suggesting they could have been sustained while her son was fleeing a drone attack. "It was a head injury of some sort. He could have been running from a drone, who knows, and could have hit his head on a rock," she explained. This was not Crane's first brush with danger while serving in Ukraine. He had previously been hospitalized after sustaining shrapnel wounds to both hands from a drone strike and had also suffered a concussion from another injury. Despite these setbacks, Crane remained resolute in his mission, returning to the front lines even after his injuries. "The thing is, he had already been injured over there. He was injured and had both hands full of shrapnel from a drone. And when he ran from that drone, had a head injury, it was a concussion, but he got over that and he had to get healed in the hospital over there. And he went back," Burton recalled. In a statement to Fox 13, the U.S. Embassy confirmed the death of an American citizen in Kharkiv but refrained from disclosing Crane's identity, citing privacy concerns. They added, "We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Kharkiv and are providing consular assistance to the family." Despite warnings from friends and a U.S. travel advisory against travel to Ukraine, Janene Burton visited her son last September. During her visit, she witnessed firsthand the gratitude expressed by Ukrainian civilians toward her son for his commitment to their defense. "People would run up to Trevor and hold his hands if they saw him in his camouflage and they would, in broken English, they would say, oh, thank you for fighting for us," she shared. She noted that he felt a strong sense of purpose and compassion for the people he was defending. Crane, who was raised in South Jordan, Utah, was passionate about his decision to fight in Ukraine, often rejecting the term 'mercenary' to describe himself. "I am not a mercenary, Mom. I signed up with this army and if I was a mercenary, I'd make more than $500 a month, and I have living expenses paid for, but that's about it. And so he was a true volunteer," Burton recalled him saying. His commitment to the cause was underscored by his background as a former deputy sheriff in Salt Lake County and an avid adventurer, having trekked to the base camp of Mount Everest. Even as a student, Crane displayed a keen interest in military history, captivating his peers with lectures about World War II. Burton reminisced about how he would engage her eighth-grade history students, showcasing an exceptional grasp of complex historical events. "He came and spoke to my eighth-grade class every hour all day and had my students captivated. I had kids raising their hands and going, 'How do you know all this stuff?'" she said. Michael Zalypko, a Ukrainian émigré living in St. George, expressed his gratitude for Crane's sacrifice, stating, "Really sad for him but proud to hear it was his calling to protect my people. I'm really honored to hear whatever he was doing for his family. I'm really grateful for all his sacrifice and what he did for Ukraine. That's a really big thing for all of us." Zalypko's family remains in western Ukraine, where they face ongoing threats from Russian forces targeting energy infrastructure. In a show of respect, West Jordan's mayor plans to honor Crane with a plaque at the Veterans Memorial next Tuesday. Despite her overwhelming grief, Burton emphasized her understanding of her son's motivations for serving. "I realized why he loved it over there so much and what he was fighting for. And for him, to die a hero, I guess all I can say is, you know, he would probably want to go out that way," she concluded, reflecting on her son's dedication to a cause larger than himself.