US veteran ships Hollywood military gear for real-life use in Ukraine

Jon Barton spent his days reading scripts, advising costuming departments and thinking through fight choreography for top military movies.

Duty called again, Barton said.

The idea emerged after a friend asked if he had extra camouflage uniforms. Barton had already been stirred by an image of young Ukrainian men, clad in knee pads to fight Russian troops, and videos of Russians firing at the press.

Barton was soon heading to Ventura county, where his company houses its inventory of gear from military base stores and third-party contractors, including phased-out colors and equipment for each branch of the military.

Now, fantasy and reality are colliding again, and the threat of world war, or nuclear fallout, usually reserved for the big screen, feels close to home, he said.

Still, Barton hopes larger film studios will follow his lead and donate their fleet of gear.