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
No comments:
Post a Comment