How a Ukrainian who fled the USSR became an Indian chief in Canada

Ivan Datsenko is a Ukrainian pilot who was presumed dead. He mysteriously became the chief of the Iroquois tribe in Canada. His story is an amazing journey from the skies over Poltava to a wigwam in Montreal. This journey was filled with courage, loss and extraordinary twists of fate, writes Ukrainian Canada – Ukrainian Canada.

Photo: American Indians © Joe Sohm | Dreamstime.com

Ivan Ivanovich Datsenko was born on November 29, 1918, in the village of Chernechy Yar in Poltava region. His life began like most village boys of that time. After school, Ivan entered a zoo-veterinary technical school, but soon felt the sky calling him.

In 1940 he graduated from the Orenburg Aviation School, and the following year the Second World War tore him away from peaceful life.

On the subject: Escape to Canada and 20 years of life under fictitious names: how a Ukrainian hid from American justice

Bomber pilot

During the war, Datsenko became a long-range bomber pilot. Brave, decisive, and dedicated to his cause, he flew more than 200 combat sorties, striking military targets behind enemy lines. His courage and endurance repeatedly amazed his comrades. Thus, on June 22, 1942, during a mission to destroy an airfield near Orel, the Ukrainian's plane was shot down. But even in such a critical situation, he saved the crew and only then left the burning plane.

In 1943, Datsenko received the title Hero of the Soviet Union. But the war gave him no respite. On April 18, 1944, his plane disappeared during a bombing raid on the Lvov-II station. It was believed that Ivan Datsenko died a hero's death, and his name began to be immortalized in his homeland.

But soon the situation changed: a mysterious order from above stopped all activities to immortalize the hero. Why?

The answer to this question appeared only decades later.

Meeting the leader

In 1967, during the World Exhibition "Expo-67" in Montreal, an event occurred that changed the idea of ​​the fate of Ivan Datsenko. The famous dancer Makhmud Esambayev, being part of the Soviet delegation, met the leader of the Iroquois tribe. A tall, stately man with a painted face and feathers on his head suddenly said in pure Ukrainian: "Zdorovenki buli!"

This leader introduced himself as Ivan Datsenko and said that he was from near Poltava. His tribal name was "He who walked through fire" (Poking Fire), and his English name was John McComber. He treated the Soviet guests to vodka and dumplings, sang Ukrainian songs, and his children spoke Ukrainian.

It turned out that after his disappearance in 1944, Datsenko was captured by the Germans. After escaping from the concentration camp, the pilot found himself in the American occupation zone, and then somehow made it to Canada. In Montreal, he began a new life, working at various sites. In the Iroquois reservation, he met the daughter of a local chief. The young people fell in love, and, according to the conditions of his father-in-law, Ivan became a member of the tribe, and after his death, the chief.

Despite the respect among the Iroquois, Datsenko always missed Ukraine. He asked guests to send him photos from Poltava, but he understood that returning to his homeland was impossible for him - in the USSR he was considered an enemy of the people.

The Mysterious End of History

In 2001, Datsenko's niece, Olga Ruban, turned to the "Wait for Me" program to find traces of her missing uncle. After numerous investigations, it was established that the leader and the pilot were one and the same person. Photos of Datsenko the pilot and Datsenko the leader were compared at the Moscow Institute of Forensic Medicine, and experts confirmed their identity.

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In the 1980s, John McComber died. His descendants deny the leader's Ukrainian origins, and documents that could confirm this story have disappeared or been destroyed. Some researchers suggest that the Soviet secret services may have been involved in the liquidation of Datsenko.

In 2012, director Mykhailo Illienko shot the film "The One Who Walked Through Fire" based on the life of Ivan Datsenko. This film became the embodiment of the story of the inflexibility of the human spirit, which is capable of surviving even the most difficult trials. Ivan Datsenko is a symbol of courage and loyalty to his roots. His story remains a legend that inspires and makes us proud of the strength of the Ukrainian spirit.

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