Lucas --
I hope this finds you well. Our work to resettle the Afghan and Iraqi
interpreters and allies who served with our military at war continues
and is finally starting to get some significant recognition. In the coming
weeks, we hope to share several documentaries highlighting our work -
so please stay tuned!
Recently,
Voice of America published a heart wrenching look at the difficulties these American veterans
face in making the transition to life in the United States. The title
of the piece says it all -
Where The Grave Isn't Free: One Afghan Interpreter's Trials of
US Resettlement -- and one excerpt in particular continues to haunt me:
While Aimal’s five years of service exposed him to Taliban militants’ death threats, marked all his relatives as traitors and frightened him into locking himself in his Kabul home for months, it also earned him a prized U.S. visa. He used to consider himself one of the lucky ones, but a year after arriving stateside, the prospect of a better life remains frustratingly elusive. He’s been homeless and jobless, his prestigious university degree meaningless to American employers... "I would rather die in Afghanistan with my pride intact than live here in poverty and shame," he said. "At least in Afghanistan, the grave is free. Here, they make you pay for it."
You'll be happy to know that it was No One Left Behind who ultimately rescued Aimal from homelessness, helped him find a job, arranged for the anonymous donation of his car, and furnished his home - all thanks to your support .But what about the thousands of other "Aimal's" we don't know about or don't have the resources to properly assist? I dread to think what will happen to them -- esp. if they choose to return to Afghanistan or Iraq (a guaranteed death sentence). Our goal is to properly resettle at least 10,000 of these veterans within the next ten years. To do that, we need your help.
Aimal's case is sadly the norm. We vow to right by these American veterans. We will not rest until our mission is complete. With your continued support we will ensure that we keep America's promise - No One Left Behind.
Please help us meet our goal.
-Cheers,
Matt