(NewsNation) — A U.S. veteran, husband and father is set to head to Ukraine this weekend to join the fight against Russia.

Cody Heard was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 2018 but made the decision earlier this month to head to Ukraine. Heard said the children suffering in Ukraine made him want to go and that it was his “calling.”

“What’s driving me is the children, the civilians that are being hurt right now. My kids are safe in the United States. But we have kids and civilians that are not safe right now. So I feel that I should be there,” Heard said on “Morning in America.” “I’m obviously gonna miss my family. They need me as well. But right now, I know that my kids are safe. It’s just the kids that really get me you know, no kid should have to go through this.”

Cody Heard’s wife, Amber, said she was anxious about her husband joining the war as they ran last-minute errands before his flight.

“The kids are doing fine. They know he’s going over. They don’t know actually what’s happening over there” Amber Heard said. “We’re just trying to live day by day. and just spend our last moments with him having a good day today.”

Thousands of people are thought to have been killed, both civilians and soldiers, in two weeks of fighting since President Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine.

“We do want to help train at least civilians to give them a chance to protect themselves,” Cody Heard said. “Then we have search and rescue operations that are taking place now.”

Cody’s initial plan is to stay in Ukraine for a month. Depending on his ability to provide for his family back home, he may stay longer.

“There’s always the fear of not coming back home, but, you know, I’m confident myself, I’m confident in the training I received from the military,” Cody Heard said earlier this week.

This comes amid a NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll that found there is broad support for continuing to arm the Ukrainians in their fight against Russia as well as for the economic sanctions imposed by the United States. But Americans draw a line: They are almost as strongly against using U.S. troops to defend Ukraine.

You can read the full poll here.

This interview was edited for clarity and length.