American troops depended on Afghan Allies - now the lives of our Allies depend on Americans

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Flashback to mid-August, when many American families were in the midst of ice cream treats, swimming pools and BBQs. The Taliban was seizing control of Afghanistan and leaving a path of mass horror, death and destruction in its wake. Americans immediately sprung to action. For two weeks, the news coverage was so constant and shocking, it brought our country to its knees. The images of people falling from airplanes as they tried to hold on, of thousands of Afghans begging for entry into Hamid Karzai International Airport, or of babies being thrown over concertina wire as their only hope for safety - captivated and held us for far more than the normal 24-hour news cycle. American Veterans rallied together. Vietnam Veterans bracing for the emotional torment post 9/11 Veterans would experience, as news pundits classified the Afghan withdrawal as this generation's Vietnam. Afghan war Veterans worked round the clock to guide their interpreters to safety. Not pausing to bicker about partisan issues but rather working with the mindset of "get it done now. Assign blame later."

As Americans, we cheered and felt hope for those who were packed onto the many C17s that took off and landed safely daily. Our military was saving the day yet again! Our Afghan Allies were being rescued. They were welcomed. We empathized for those still stranded - hearing heartbreaking stories of the young girls and women. We prayed for their safety, and we rallied to get them to America - even if there was no formal plan to resettle them once here. For two weeks Americans focused on streamlined efforts for evacuations and left the red tape out of it.

For American Veterans, there was no issue more urgent. No bond more unifying than getting our Allies out of Afghanistan. Organizations collaborated and shared information - a rarity in the often cutthroat and competitive space of nonprofits. American Veterans worked on a schedule many began to refer to as 22/7: two hours of sleep a day to be just functional enough to continue working around the clock for the safe passage of our Afghan Allies. 

The issue of Afghanistan and our Allies is still urgent for the Veteran community. There is still no issue more unifying or bipartisan than the evacuation of Americans and Allies from Afghanistan. However, for most of America, Afghanistan and its people are a tragic reality of the inhumane conditions in other countries. For most Americans, the brutality of life in Afghanistan fades into comfortable silence as the media stops reporting the daily atrocities.

And most of the nation, or at least the bulk of the media, seems satisfied to say "Mission Complete" on our evacuation effort. But the mission is far from complete.

On a weekly basis, Save Our Allies is working with multiple partners to evacuate 30-50 American Citizens from Afghanistan and 500-1,000 SIV Afghans - people who have spent at least four years working with American troops.

Yet every day, we receive hundreds of desperate messages begging our group to help with evacuation and safe passage out of Afghanistan. We learn of families slowly starving to death, fathers choosing to sell one daughter so that the other four will have food, of punishments so brutal that death seems the only escape. There is no respite from messages from our Afghan Allies because we are the last hope they have. Whatever your feelings may be about immigration at the southern border, realize that these people, our Afghan Allies are not random people showing up at the border. They are people who have fought and bled alongside our men and women in uniform for a generation. They are people who finally felt a taste of freedom as their country spent two decades with Americans in it. 

After two decades of war, Americans are war-weary. But leaving our partners - our Allies to whom we promised Special Immigrant Visas upon good and faithful service to America - is quite simply, un-American. Our Afghan Allies had our backs. They slept next to American troops. They pointed out which food was a good idea to eat at the local market, and quietly referenced the best ones to skip. They somberly grieved our wounded and killed American soldiers as they were sent back to the United States. In many cases, our Afghan Allies carried the bodies of wounded and killed U.S troops to safety. 

As we reflect on the lives lost and ruined over the last twenty years of war, we remember our friends who died there. We think of the families that were forever changed. This is not about blame. There's enough blame over the past two decades to go around. Four Presidential administrations can claim failure for what has happened in Afghanistan. But the Veteran community doesn't have to fail. We can continue to press for the evacuation of Americans and Allies from Afghanistan. Even if our government won't - we should keep the promises made and the moral obligation we owe our Allies. 

We do this by putting our time, talent, and treasure where it can be effective. We ask our elected officials to demand accountability for the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and to continue to press for the evacuation for those that need it. For the lucky few who have made it to America, we can welcome them into our communities. We can set the tone that America's Veterans welcome our new neighbors. We can ensure they have every chance at living the American dream. 

For many years, American troops depended on Afghan Allies, and now the lives of our Allies depend on Americans. 

Chad Robichaux is a best-selling author, Speaker, MMA Champion, and Founder of Mighty Oaks Foundation and Save our Allies. Nick Palmisciano is an Army Veteran and the Founder of Diesel Jack Media and Ranger Up. Tim Kennedy is the CEO of Sheepdog Response, a former UFC fighter, and a Special Forces Veteran. Save our Allies is committed to evacuation of Americans and Allies from Afghanistan, and dignified resettlement in the United States. Save our Allies supports Veteran mental healthcare through The Independence Fund and Mighty Oaks Foundation. 

CONTACT: Ashley Skinner, [email protected]

SOURCE Save Our Allies