My Cousin's Talk on Ukraine and Grandfather's Cufflinks

Written 10/5/2025.My cousin Gregory is the former US Consul of Bermuda (essentially the former US Ambassador) under George W Bush and a little under Obama. He knows everyone in the political arena and is also a very devout Christian.Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.When the war broke out, he mobilized 6 churches and to date, they have delivered 17 million pounds of food and medical supplies to Ukraine. He wrote a book which Zelensky endorsed. All proceeds go to Ukrainian charities.He has an inside view of the war and what is really going on and he shared it with us in a frank dialog, taking questions and answering as much as he was able to.Here’s the back story, then we’ll talk about the talk, then about what you can do to help out.First, I was visiting my parents and my mom mentioned Gregory had invited her to The Harvard Club to hear him speak. He had also invited me but had the wrong email. In any case, I wanted to support my cousin because, frankly, we may talk once every 5 years. So, I got on the list. While thinking about Gregory, I got an intuitive hit. I had a pair of my grandfather’s cufflinks that I had never worn. They’ve literally been sitting in a box for 30 years. I knew that Gregory wore cufflinks and that his side of the family was closer to our grandparents than my side (he grew up without a father - his father took off and went no contact after he and his mom got divorced). My grandparents tried to make up for that by focusing on their side of the family. So off I went to downtown Chicago. I gave Gregory a copy of 3 of my books and I bought his book which he signed. Then I gave him the cufflinks. When he opened the box, he was touched. He kept referring back to them all night and kept them in his pocket so he wouldn’t lose them. I’m so happy I was able to give him something so special.After his talk, we went out to dinner with his former college roommate and wife at Rosebuds on Rush. We ate outside in the beautiful weather and chatted.It was a magical night.Here are details of his talk. He’s been going around the country giving this talk. If you want him to speak, reach out through his foundation.https://www.harvardclubchicago.org/upcoming-events/gregory-slayton-2025Here’s a link to his book or you can buy it via his foundation. https://www.amazon.com/Portraits-Ukraine-Nation-at-War/dp/0998424625His foundation: https://www.fellowshipoffathersfoundation.org/founding-story/Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rslayton.substack.com/subscribe