Help Bost, AFG linguists immigrate to the US
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I was deployed to Bost, Afghanistan as the Officer in Charge of our advising team. At any given time, our camp had about 100 folks on it, and our base was tiny. Except for the two airfields, one for fixed wing and one for helicopters, our base where we spent most of our time was about the size of a football field. Living quarters were tight. The joke was that we were in Bost prison, and my call sign was the "Warden." I'll put a couple of pictures in the update section. We were in the Provincial capital, and frequently had the Governor, Provincial Chief of Police, Provincial Director of the National Directorate of Security (like CIA and FBI mashed together), and their staffs on our base as guests while we tried to help them.
So we all ate together, and any down time, we were together: Marines, sailors, civilian contractors, and the interpreters. We had four medical evacuations from a variety of injuries. Every time that happened, our interpreters were extremely visibly distraught and frequently crying. That is what the culture is like over there. They truly cared about us, and commonly shared their tea and food with us. They usually cooked on their own to have food that they preferred. They are some of the most generous and caring people I have ever met.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/magazine/helmand-afghanistan-rocket-marines.html
When I left in February 2020, I told the interpreters that if they ever needed anything, they should contact me. In early May 2021, MH told me that he needed $2,000 for his medical examination which is the last step before getting visas for him and his family of four. The next day, I wired him the money. He must have told the other interpreters what I did because Z immediately came up on the net, and said that he was close to getting his medical appointment too. MH said that he wants to immigrate within a week of getting his visa. That will mean plane tickets in short order, and when he gets here maybe a vehicle. Ideally, I want to greet him at the airport when he arrives. There are non-profits that will give him grants, so I will be focusing where those grants fall short. Until then, I'm just doing this out of pocket. If you've been there, you know how poor the average person is. I can't imagine how long it would take them to raise the kind of money it takes to immigrate. Please "share" on Facebook, and "retweet" on Twitter.
For those of you who have not been there, systemic racism is like what you might imagine existed in the South-Eastern US during reconstruction. I will post a satellite image in the update section to show you what this looks like. Just like many cities in the US where you cross the railroad tracks, and there is a stark contrast between the haves and have nots. When you read or hear about bombings or mass casualties frequently numbering in the hundreds, most of the time, those are directed at the Hazaras (ethnic Asians). When I've gone to Afghanistan, the first reaction upon seeing me is shock and dismay because I look like a Hazara. Yes, I've been treated like trash by many people over there in spite of my rank and being a Marine. Alternately, once they've gotten past the shock, I'm greeted with hugs and exclamations that I look like a cousin or uncle in another province. I have in fact passed as an Afghan when I met a Taliban during an interrogation who proclaimed that he joined specifically to kill Americans, and he even reached out to shake my hand as he left the room.
Additionally, the danger to our interpreters cannot be overstated. They are targeted for having worked with US or Coalition forces. My message box is flooded with snuff pictures of assassination victims who are friends and family of our interpreters. It is a gruesome and daily reminder of how awful their predicament is. The situation is so dire where we left that the Commanding General of the Afghan army corps and the Provincial Director of the National Directorate of Security, both abandoned their posts after we left the province. In Afghanistan, personal power and security are transitory and the situation can change very quickly.
Spectrum News ran a fantastic piece on this effort: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/coastal/news/2021/07/01/marine-sponsors-immigration?fbclid=IwAR1_jXwlL7rSXuEkCxJUEQmYiVg3LGl4W9j-mmsjQ4hE3NNBqxz2o_MvlYg
If you have read this far, I really appreciate you taking the time to do so, and am grateful for anything you do to help.
So we all ate together, and any down time, we were together: Marines, sailors, civilian contractors, and the interpreters. We had four medical evacuations from a variety of injuries. Every time that happened, our interpreters were extremely visibly distraught and frequently crying. That is what the culture is like over there. They truly cared about us, and commonly shared their tea and food with us. They usually cooked on their own to have food that they preferred. They are some of the most generous and caring people I have ever met.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/magazine/helmand-afghanistan-rocket-marines.html
When I left in February 2020, I told the interpreters that if they ever needed anything, they should contact me. In early May 2021, MH told me that he needed $2,000 for his medical examination which is the last step before getting visas for him and his family of four. The next day, I wired him the money. He must have told the other interpreters what I did because Z immediately came up on the net, and said that he was close to getting his medical appointment too. MH said that he wants to immigrate within a week of getting his visa. That will mean plane tickets in short order, and when he gets here maybe a vehicle. Ideally, I want to greet him at the airport when he arrives. There are non-profits that will give him grants, so I will be focusing where those grants fall short. Until then, I'm just doing this out of pocket. If you've been there, you know how poor the average person is. I can't imagine how long it would take them to raise the kind of money it takes to immigrate. Please "share" on Facebook, and "retweet" on Twitter.
For those of you who have not been there, systemic racism is like what you might imagine existed in the South-Eastern US during reconstruction. I will post a satellite image in the update section to show you what this looks like. Just like many cities in the US where you cross the railroad tracks, and there is a stark contrast between the haves and have nots. When you read or hear about bombings or mass casualties frequently numbering in the hundreds, most of the time, those are directed at the Hazaras (ethnic Asians). When I've gone to Afghanistan, the first reaction upon seeing me is shock and dismay because I look like a Hazara. Yes, I've been treated like trash by many people over there in spite of my rank and being a Marine. Alternately, once they've gotten past the shock, I'm greeted with hugs and exclamations that I look like a cousin or uncle in another province. I have in fact passed as an Afghan when I met a Taliban during an interrogation who proclaimed that he joined specifically to kill Americans, and he even reached out to shake my hand as he left the room.
Additionally, the danger to our interpreters cannot be overstated. They are targeted for having worked with US or Coalition forces. My message box is flooded with snuff pictures of assassination victims who are friends and family of our interpreters. It is a gruesome and daily reminder of how awful their predicament is. The situation is so dire where we left that the Commanding General of the Afghan army corps and the Provincial Director of the National Directorate of Security, both abandoned their posts after we left the province. In Afghanistan, personal power and security are transitory and the situation can change very quickly.
Spectrum News ran a fantastic piece on this effort: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/coastal/news/2021/07/01/marine-sponsors-immigration?fbclid=IwAR1_jXwlL7rSXuEkCxJUEQmYiVg3LGl4W9j-mmsjQ4hE3NNBqxz2o_MvlYg
If you have read this far, I really appreciate you taking the time to do so, and am grateful for anything you do to help.
Organizer
Eric Terashima
Organizer
Leland, NC