• mySigEp
    • Join SigEp
    • Shop
    • Giving Opportunities
    • Search

Sigma Phi Epsilon

SigEp – Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity logoSigEp sticky logo

Building Balanced Men

  • About SigEp
    • Mission & Vision
    • Our Chapters
    • Who We Are
      • National Fraternity
        • National Board of Directors
        • Committees and Task Forces
        • District Governors
      • Educational Foundation
      • SigEp National Housing
      • Headquarters Staff
      • Chapter Support
    • Strategic Plan
    • History & Facts
    • Prominent Alumni
    • Get Involved
      • Join SigEp
      • Refer an Undergraduate
      • Giving Opportunities
      • Volunteer
      • Become a Founding Father
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • The SigEp Experience
    • Balanced Man Program
    • SigEp Learning Communities
    • Founding Fathers & Current Expansion Sites
      • Expansion Team
    • National Programs
      • Springboard: A Series to Launch You Into SigEp Leadership
      • Carlson Leadership Academies
      • Ruck Leadership Institute
      • Tragos Quest to Greece
      • Career Coaching
      • Life After College
      • Grand Chapter Conclave
      • Live Your Oath
    • Service-learning
    • Awards
      • Annual Award Recipients
      • Order of the Golden Heart Recipients
      • Citation Recipients
    • Membership Perks
      • Alumni
      • Undergraduates
  • Foundation
    • Give
    • Giving Options
      • Annual Fund
      • Board of Governors
      • Founders Day of Giving
      • Bequests
      • Stock, Mutual Fund Gifts
      • Matching Gifts
      • IRA Gifts
      • Donor Advised Fund Gifts
    • Grants & Scholarship Funds
      • Balanced Man Scholarships
      • National Tuition Scholarships
      • Chapter Investment Funds (CIFs)
      • Restricted Fund Policies
    • Legacy Society
  • Resources
    • Chapter Officers
      • SigEpU
    • Volunteers
      • Alumni Communication Program
    • Parents
    • SigEp National Housing
    • Recruitment
      • Vice President of Recruitment
      • Mentor for Recruitment
      • Substance-free Facilities
    • Member Safety
      • Substance-free Facilities
    • Officer Elections & Transitions
    • Standards & Bylaws
    • Marketing & Branding
      • Recruitment Marketing Resources
  • Journal
    • Features
    • Tower Room
    • Brotherly Love
    • Arete
    • Red Door
    • Educational Foundation
    • Commentary
    • In Memoriam
  • Search
SigEp logo
  • Give
  • /
  • Volunteer
  • /
  • Join
  • /
  • Learn More
SigEp logo
  • About SigEp
    • Mission & Vision
    • Our Chapters
    • Who We Are
      • National Fraternity
        • National Board of Directors
        • Committees and Task Forces
        • District Governors
      • Educational Foundation
      • SigEp National Housing
      • Headquarters Staff
      • Chapter Support
    • Strategic Plan
    • History & Facts
    • Prominent Alumni
    • Get Involved
      • Join SigEp
      • Refer an Undergraduate
      • Giving Opportunities
      • Volunteer
      • Become a Founding Father
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • The SigEp Experience
    • Balanced Man Program
    • SigEp Learning Communities
    • Founding Fathers & Current Expansion Sites
      • Expansion Team
    • National Programs
      • Springboard: A Series to Launch You Into SigEp Leadership
      • Carlson Leadership Academies
      • Ruck Leadership Institute
      • Tragos Quest to Greece
      • Career Coaching
      • Life After College
      • Grand Chapter Conclave
      • Live Your Oath
    • Service-learning
    • Awards
      • Annual Award Recipients
      • Order of the Golden Heart Recipients
      • Citation Recipients
    • Membership Perks
      • Alumni
      • Undergraduates
  • Foundation
    • Give
    • Giving Options
      • Annual Fund
      • Board of Governors
      • Founders Day of Giving
      • Bequests
      • Stock, Mutual Fund Gifts
      • Matching Gifts
      • IRA Gifts
      • Donor Advised Fund Gifts
    • Grants & Scholarship Funds
      • Balanced Man Scholarships
      • National Tuition Scholarships
      • Chapter Investment Funds (CIFs)
      • Restricted Fund Policies
    • Legacy Society
  • Resources
    • Chapter Officers
      • SigEpU
    • Volunteers
      • Alumni Communication Program
    • Parents
    • SigEp National Housing
    • Recruitment
      • Vice President of Recruitment
      • Mentor for Recruitment
      • Substance-free Facilities
    • Member Safety
      • Substance-free Facilities
    • Officer Elections & Transitions
    • Standards & Bylaws
    • Marketing & Branding
      • Recruitment Marketing Resources
  • Journal
    • Features
    • Tower Room
    • Brotherly Love
    • Arete
    • Red Door
    • Educational Foundation
    • Commentary
    • In Memoriam
  • Search
SigEp logo
  • mySigEp
  • Join SigEp
  • Shop
  • Giving Opportunities
  • Search
Home / Brotherly Love / Brotherly love knows no borders

August 31, 2023

Brotherly love knows no borders

Categories: Brotherly Love, Summer 2023 Journal

If someone had told Sean Labarrere, Cal Poly Pomona ’10, he’d one day serve in a war zone, he would’ve considered the prediction highly improbable. But that’s exactly what happened. In February 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Weeks later, Labarrere found himself crossing the border from Poland into the former Russian territory to assist the nation in its fight for freedom.

Labarrere was an unlikely enlistee. Although he comes from a long line of veterans, he has no military experience, nor is he of Ukrainian descent. But seeing how distressed close friends with family ties to the besieged country were as missiles struck and people fled for safety made him want to help.

“I have a daughter, and I couldn’t sit back and watch women and children be killed in a senseless war,” Labarrere said. “I felt the calling to go over and make a difference.”

Labarrere had experience dealing with crisis situations due to his time as part of the County of Riverside Emergency Management Department’s COVID-19 planning and logistics team.

A friend connected Labarrere with the Norman Brigade, a Canada-based unit composed of volunteers from several countries. He applied to serve as a volunteer soldier and spent the weeks before his departure researching and planning. After arriving in Ukraine, he was vetted before being embedded with the group.

“My experience organizing critical infrastructure and equipment during emergencies and the leadership skills I learned in SigEp allowed me to integrate very well into the unit,” Labarrere stated.

As an active member of the brigade, he managed supplies and oversaw the care, storage and inventory of weapons and other equipment. Logistics became difficult when massive fuel shortages in Ukraine occurred, and significant planning was needed to move units to and from the front lines.

After volunteering for a rotation at the front, Labarrere spent time watching for advancing Russian troops and spent three weeks in trenches, just yards away from Russian forces. During this time, Labarrere and his unit were under heavy artillery fire.

After serving for two months, Labarrere returned home safely. He continues to hope for an end to the conflict so that the Ukrainian people can rebuild their country and their lives.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • From the Chapter House to the Boardroom
  • The SigEp Sheriff
  • A Lifelong Commitment to Brotherhood
  • Trailblazing Again
  • Still Connected, Still Climbing

Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity

310 South Arthur Ashe Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 353-1901

Contact our staff.

About SigEp

  • Mission & Vision
  • Who We Are
  • Our Chapters
  • Chapter Success

The SigEp Experience

  • Programs
  • Join SigEp
  • History & Facts

Resources

  • Chapter Officers
  • Volunteers
  • Help Documentation
  • Privacy Policy
A "Login to mySigEp" button, allowing you to access SigEp's member and alumni/volunteer portal.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • YouTube