MEDINA, N.Y. — Most heroes never intend to be one.
"He saw a wrong and he wanted to help right it in any way that he could," said Debra Tompkins.
Exactly the case for Debra Tompkins' son, 17-year-old Austin Tompkins, who saw what was happening in Ukraine.
"Because of what I was seeing on the internet, lots of people just went about their day. And I was like 'no, I want to do something about this,'" Austin Tompkins said. "I was one of the ones that wanted to go out and help them in person."
"I thought it would be something that he would not grow out of, but just stop thinking about," Debra Tompkins said.
"By November, he came to me and had all his plans listed out."
In January, Austin Tompkins turned 18, but he didn't have the $6,000 needed to get to Ukraine. So he started a job and took out a loan.
By March, Austin Tompkins had everything he needed and despite the U.S. Department of State advising citizens not to travel to Ukraine, he was on his way to help.
"I don't think we have any family connection to the country," Austin Tompkins said.
"Did you have any fears about going to Ukraine," 2 On Your Side's Danielle Church asked him.
"The only thing I was worried about was how to get there," Austin Tompkins said.
Austin Tompkins got through all the border and military checkpoints and immediately started helping out with civilian work at a food pantry. He eventually helped load supply trucks, until a few guards were killed. That's when he took a shooting accuracy test and was asked to be a guard, ending up in combat. Austin Tompkins relied on his previous experience with the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Core to stay alive.
"All that training drilled into me the military common sense on a battlefield to survive," Austin Tompkins said.
Austin Tompkins was shot in the head, but a helmet protected him.
In his two months overseas, he only walked away with a minor concussion.
"Why are you so motivated to go help other countries? What is it that drives you," 2 On Your Side's Danielle Church asked Austin Tompkins.
"Mainly seeing how we live here and how people live in other countries," he said. "I don't like seeing people forced to live in bad conditions because of a dictator government or something like that. I have this drive to go and help them. I don't know where it comes from. I just have a need to help people around the world."
"At 18, to have the wherewithal to want to go over and help people that you have no connection to, just because it's the right thing to do, I can't say how proud of him I am. He is definitely a hero to me," Debra Tompkins said.
Western New Yorkers may get to see a bit of Austin Tompkins' journey. He was interviewed by actor and filmmaker Stephen Rollins for a Netflix documentary called 'Ukraine: A Will of the People' which is expected to be released in August.
Austin Tompkins has been invited by Rollins to view the premiere in Los Angeles.