Legend Of The Headless Translator

 August 10th, 2021

My Dear America:

The Former Afghan Translator had spent 16 months working with the United States Army in Afghanistan as a Translator/Interpreter.  Although he had to maintain a good working record with the American Military to be able to keep his job for 16 months, his employment was abruptly terminated after he failed a polygraph test that was administered by a Contractor hired by the American Armed Forces.  The Translator had applied for a Special Immigrant Visa in order to receive assistance from the U.S. to successfully get out of Afghanistan with his family but due to the mysterious Polygraph test failure he was not eligible to be approved for the Special Immigrant Visa.

Like many other Afghan Translators with previously good records, The Afghan Translator was never told why or how he apparently failed the Polygraph test.  He was simply terminated from his Translator position with no explanation of why he was being let go from a job that he had been successfully performing for nearly two years.

According to a close friend of the Translator he was being accused of being a spy for the Americans by the Taliban and his life had been threatened by the Taliban.  He told his friend that not only was his own life threatened but also the lives of his family members, including his wife and 9 year old daughter, were in jeopardy.

On the afternoon of May 12th, 2021 the Former Afghan Translator was driving from his home in Kabul to nearby Khost Province to pick up his Sister so that she could join his family for a celebration of the end of the Muslim Holiday, Ramadan.  

On this particular day, however, he was in a good mood and looked forward to the holiday celebration with members of his family.  On his way to pick up his sister the Translator sped through a checkpoint that was apparently set up by the Taliban.  

Local Villagers who witnessed the incident stated that the translators vehicle was riddled with bullets before it stopped.  the witnesses stated that when the car stopped the Translator was dragged out of the car and beheaded.

Many former Translators and Interpreters for the United States Military in Afghanistan are realizing that if they don't get out of Afghanistan with their families they may face a similar fate as that received by the beheaded Translator.

On a day when Joe Biden and the Congress are receiving well deserved accolades for helping to put together a hopefully successful and sorely needed Infrastructure Program I hate to rain on that parade but as much as I admire Joe Biden and root for his continued success in so many areas the fate of the Afghan Translators is something that needs to be taken care of NOW.  

I certainly agree with Joe Biden's decision to get our troops out of Afghanistan.  We have spent too much money and wasted too many lives in that country but in getting out of Afghanistan by September 11th, 2021 why didn't someone somewhere in the Administration raise their hands and say: 

"Wait a Minute. What about the Interpreters and Translators who have worked with us for the 20 years we have been in Afghanistan.  What the hell are we going to do about them?"

Indeed, What are we going to do about them.  Nobody in the Administration seems to be caring much for the fate of those brave Translators who hitched their wagons to the American Cause and as we have literally blown out of Afghanistan like a hurricane we have left them to fend for themselves as the Taliban races to drive humanity out of the Afghan Government.

Clearly the whole question of what is wrong in Afghanistan is complex and difficult to understand and deal with.  

But the question of the Afghan Translators is not that complex or difficult.

We got these people into this mess.  We told them we needed their help and made promises.  They made their choice to help us and now we must make a choice to help them before their heads and the heads of their families are rolling around all over Afghanistan.  

I know that we have a lot of difficult problems going on in the United States besides Infrastructure.  Voting Rights.  Republican willingness to give up Democracy in many States in the Union, Covid 19.  It seems like our problems are endless.

I know that President Joe Biden has had a lot on his plate trying to clean up after what seems like an endless mess created by the Trump Administration.  Biden started on Day One and has been moving rapidly and boldly to do what needed to be done to actually Make America Great Again after Donald Trump had turned what had previously been Great into something ominously close to a Third World Dictator Driven "Shithole Country."

I certainly don't mean to denigrate what Joe Biden has done and continues to do.  I think that his efforts on the whole have been Superhuman. 

I simply think that in his race to get our troops safely out of Afghanistan to protect them that Biden and others along the line didn't give enough thought to  what was going to happen to those Afghans who worked with us once we left their country.

What had occurred at the disturbing end of the Vietnam War should have been an alarming lesson to learn from.  But apparently the disastrous end of that disastrous war didn't register in 2021 political memories.

It may be already too late to save them.  Clearly the Taliban is racing to once again take over the country that they used to brutally run.  The consequences of our leaving and the Taliban coming back to control Afghanistan are unknown.  But the consequences to those Translators who served us well and have been left behind can be figured out quite easily.  Things are not looking well for them unless the American Government can get their fate to the top of the priority list because that is where it belongs.

What is happening and what is going to happen to the Afghan Translators depends on whether or not the Biden Administration is willing to cut through the Red tape and the bullshit to save the lives of those who are left out in the cold in the deserts of Afghanistan.  

Although this issue has received limited attention from other Media figures, Rachel Maddow seems to have gone to great lengths to provide a bright light on this time sensitive subject.  She has pointed out that several Congressional Representatives who have served in the Armed Services in Afghanistan and worked with these Translators are speaking out in favor of saving the Translators and their families from the brutal swords of the Taliban.  In addition to having Representatives like Jason Crow on her program she even had the Leader of Guam on her program offering her country as a refuge for the Afghan Translators when and if we can get them out.  

While Rachel was on vacation from her program recently Allie Velshi, who filled in for her on her program had an interview with an Afghan Interpreter who worked with the U.S. Marines in his home country.  Zak pleaded in the interview for President Biden to save him and his family.  Zak (Not his real name, of course) not only worked for the Marines but also worked with a defense Contractor after working with the marines.  He has had no luck in contacting the Contractor since the E Mail of the contractor is no longer a working E Mail and his work with the Marines was only for 9 months, which is apparently not long enough to qualify for the Special Visa Program.  Also on the program with Ali Velshi was U.S. Marine Corps Major Thomas Schueman, who was Zak's Commanding Officer and verified that Zak not only was a good interpreter but that he went above and beyond his expected duty and risked his life to protect American Servicemen.

It seems to me as though Failed Polygraph Tests are a great issue of concern.  Certainly many Translators that had, according to their American Comrades and Commanding Officers, rather successful and distinguished careers as American Translators were fired due to these Polygraph Tests.  Certainly anyone can fail a Polygraph test.  There are many good reasons why they are not acceptable as evidence in judicial proceedings.  They are not reliable in this matter of Life or Death

Who administered these tests that ended the careers of successful and brave Translators?

What were the questions that they asked that the Translators didn't answer correctly?

Those and many other questions should be answered but we don't have time to answer those questions right now.   We need to get the translators out of Afghanistan to somewhere that they can live in Peace and safety and not fear for their lives.

Another reason that many Afghan Translators have been rejected for Special Visa Status is that they didn't work long enough for America to qualify for a Visa.  This is Bullshit.  If they worked for us for any length of time and did a good job they deserve to have their lives and the lives of their families saved from the Taliban Butchers.

One Afghan Translator who was rejected for the Special Visa Program because of  a Polygraph test was described by his American Commander as "A Valuable and Necessary Asset who braved enemy fire and undoubtedly saved the lives of Americans and Afghans alike"

This same person received a visa rejection letter from the U.S. Embassy stating that he was being rejected for a Visa due to "Lack of Faithful and Valuable Service."

Clearly something is radically wrong with this picture when so many "Faithful and Valuable" human lives are on the chopping block in Afghanistan.

Yes, Clearly we should Leave Afghanistan.   

But we should not leave Afghanistan without taking with us those who stood alongside us over the long haul of 20 years fighting for their Freedom.

We owe them a Great Deal but at the very least we owe them protection so that their lives and the lives of their families are not thrown away on the deserts of Afghanistan.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

 

   

Message For Simone Biles

August 3rd, 2021

Dear Simone:

You don't know me and I really don't know you but I have been a big fan on yours for quite awhile now.  You have a lot of fans like me who have seen you growing up in America looking kind of like many other kids in America but having a talent that catapulted you far above even the best of other gymnasts in the world. 

When it comes to gymnastics you have done it all and you have done it well and through it all it seems to me that you have radiated a sweetness and kindness and a respect for others that is not found in all athletes.  You truly have been to the "Mountaintop" of gymnastics competitions and have found yourself alone at the top of the gymnastics heap over and over and over again.  You have a gymnastics record at your young age (24) that will probably never be surpassed.  You have 30 combined Olympic and World Championship medals.

You, My Dear Simone, have nothing more to prove.

You had a rough start to your Olympic Competition this time out.  You could tell and others could tell that you were not at the top of your Gymnastic Game and you were faced with a choice of what to do about it.  You made the choice to partially sit this one out because you were well aware of the fact that if you did compete you could have seriously injured yourself permanently.

For the most part, your decision to back off and allow your American teammates to pursue their dreams in your place was accepted and encouraged by most Americans and indeed athletes and citizens from around the world.  Regardless of what others thought about your decision it was a decision that only you could have made and should have made.  It was a decision that really should not have promoted controversy.  Unfortunately, however, we live in a Nation and in a world where people who have no talent in gymnastics and generally no interest at all in gymnastics, feel as though they are entitled to have an opinion regarding what you have done in the 2021 Olympics.

Certainly there are people in your life who are entitled to have an opinion about what you do.  Your parents, your foster parents, your coaches, your boyfriend certainly might be entitled to express their opinions to you.  But in the end the only person who should really be entitled to decide whether or not you are in shape to safely participate in your Olympic Competitions is you.  

The only reason that I am writing this message to you is because, as I suppose should have been expected, some mainly right wing jackass commentators have taken it upon themselves to make negative and insulting judgements about you.  Words like Quitter, Loser and other epithets have been used to describe your situation unfairly.

I am writing this message to you in order to ask you to ignore these unfair criticisms.  You have done nothing wrong and, in fact, you have done everything right.  You saw that you were not in shape to compete initially and instead of leaving the competition you stayed and heartily encouraged your teammates, who certainly came through on their own merits.  You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.  You have competed and won at the Olympics before.  You encouraged your teammates to victory and you avoided a disaster happening for yourself because you weren't ready.  When you were ready you did compete and you were successful.  You made the correct choices.

Perhaps this Olympic Experience is actually a blessing in disguise.  Your whole life has been gymnastics.  Maybe it is time for you to move on to other pursuits.  You are articulate and attractive.  Maybe Writing, Broadcasting, Podcasting might be something you might like to do and would be good at.  Certainly, like Michael Phelps and others a sports commentator position might be something you might enjoy.  Settling down and raising a family might also be healthy for you but only if you are ready. 

You are a young woman who has certainly lived an interesting and a fulfilling life so far.  But you really do have your whole life ahead of you to pursue other things.  Don't push things in gymnastics to a point where you might get hurt.  

You will always be a hero to children interested in sports, especially black children.  Young black kids, like yourself, don't have enough heroes to model themselves after.  You have shown yourself to be the kind of heroine that all kids could model themselves after.  Perhaps starting a foundation to work with young kids would be something you might like to do.

You have always been a winner and you will continue to be one if you continue to make the right decisions like the ones that you made this year at the Olympics.  Don't let the Nay Sayers get to you.  It is easy to be a Critic.  It is not so easy to get to a level in a sport like Gymnastics where you have been.

We in America and in the World are very Proud of You and what you have accomplished in your young life.  

You are a World Champion.  You Continue to be a Champion and even if others do outpace your accomplishments in the future You will still always be a Champion and an incredible Inspiration to other Young Athletes who may follow you to the Olympic Podiums of the Future.

Godspeed Simone in whatever you choose to do in your Future.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher