EL CAJON, Calif. (KGTV) — A procession from Los Angeles to El Cajon honored a retired Navy Seal and retired SDFD firefighter, killed while volunteering in Ukraine.
At LAX on Thanksgiving night, a gathering of service members, first responders and family, as the body of Mike Meoli, 71, arrived home.
What followed was an emotion-filled procession to a mortuary in El Cajon.
“It was a big loss to all of us,” said Josh Levine.
Levine, a Marine veteran and Director of Operations for Shield of Freedom, a nonprofit providing aid to Ukraine, worked with Meoli for the past few years as Meoli started up medical training centers in Ukraine for military and first responders.
“At 70 years old, he decided where he needed to be. [He] was in Ukraine, training medics, sometimes he himself going to the front lines,” said Levine.
Meoli's storied journey spans some five decades. He was a Navy Seal, serving alongside Ukrainians in Iraq, before joining San Diego Fire Rescue, where he was a firefighter and paramedic for more than four decades before his retirement, which included providing medical training in Ukraine.
In 2021, ABC 10News was there, as he led an effort for a monument honoring Seal demolition teams at Miramar National Cemetery.
Then came the Russian invasion. Meoli headed back to Ukraine.
“Some people run away from fire, and some run towards it to help people, and Mike was one of those … also his love for the people of Ukraine from his past experiences,” said Levine.
A few weeks ago, Meoli's mission came to an end when he died in a car accident in Kyiv. Levine says many of the details are still not known.
Levine calls his friend courageous, patriotic and determined.
“He described himself as a promise keeper. Come hell or high water, when he needed to get help to people, that was going to happen,” said Levine. “He trained trainers, so his impact is thousands of people helped.”
With Meoli's passing, that task will now pass on to others, including Levine.
“We will be carrying on his legacy to honor him … I can hear almost his voice … ‘Captain Josh, Take care of my people,‘ and I will,” said Levine.
Meoli will be laid to rest Thursday morning at Miramar National Cemetery.
