SEATTLE — An Ellensburg man and his family are back home in the United States safely after fleeing from Ukraine, where he got married days before the Russian invasion began.
Greg Armstrong traveled to Ukraine in February and married his wife in Kyiv a week before the Russian bombing began.
"The majority of people living in Kyiv were just doing their normal daily lives, and didn't think that Putin would invade," Armstrong said.
He made a decision to leave Ukraine and make his way to the U.S. with his family before the war escalated.
"I finally kind of put my foot down and said we need to leave," he said.
Armstrong, his wife, and his 15-year-old stepdaughter reached Poland where they tried to process immigration paperwork at the embassy, but to no immediate avail.
"Constant things going through your head - what's going to happen, are we going to get the travel documents?" Armstrong said.
Armstrong managed to obtain a tourist visa for his wife and stepdaughter, and they arrived at SeaTac International Airport on Thursday after traveling for 22 to 23 hours. He credits his persistence in making it back home.
"My persistence of not leaving the door of the embassy, flashing my U.S. passport," Armstrong said.
He said he refused to leave his family behind in Kyiv and is now looking forward to introducing them to life in Washington.
"It's been really great to have all the support from family and friends and everything that we've heard from back in Ellensburg. I’m looking forward to seeing them all and telling their stories," Armstrong said.