'He wanted to help people': Eastern NC parents mourn son's death in Ukraine

The friends and family of a North Carolina man are mourning his death after he was killed in Ukraine.

Kathryn and George Lucyszyn shared their memories of Luke, their 31-year-old son, with NBC News from their home in Calabash. Luke Lucyszyn is one of two U.S. citizens to have recently died as part of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Lucyszyn was part Ukrainian and felt personally impacted by the war. His desire to go there, according to Kathryn, was centered around giving aid to a country he cared about.

"He didn't go there to be a hero," Kathryn told NBC News. "He went there because he wanted to help people."

The parents said they found out about Luke's death over a phone call around 4 a.m. on July 19. They believe Luke had been knocked unconscious by artillery when three other foreign fighters tried to save him.

"He saw the war going on and he felt that they really needed help," Kathryn said. "He said 'Mom I'm going,' so he went. We tried to dissuade him."

Luke was a father to two children. He went to Ukraine in April and was serving as a medic.

News of the death of the Americans in the Donbas region comes following a renewed missile attack on the port city of Odesa. That happened just one day after Ukraine and Russia agreed to a deal allowing safe passage of ships carrying Ukraine's most vital export - grain.