Matt and Janis visit with a group of interpreters who were fortunate to make it out during the evacuation and now reside in a camp at Fort Pickett, VA. The Afghans share their incredible experiences and their fears for the fate of those who remain left behind.
15 Aug 2021
Behind Enemy Lines - Sakhi
Sakhi, an Afghan wartime ally who served for 5 years, shares what life is like inside Taliban held Mazar-I-Sharif and his grim prospects for the future.
13 Aug 2021
Behind Enemy Lines - Milad
Milad, an Afghan wartime ally, who served with coalition forces for over four years, contacted us to let us know he’s now trapped in the city of Qala-E-Naw, the capital of Baghdis province (some 800km west of Kabul). The Taliban now rule the city and are going door to door hunting down our wartime allies, enforcing their brutality upon all in their reach.
13 Aug 2021
Afghan Update - 13 AUG 2021
Matt gives an update on the latest Taliban offensive and explains how they are now at the gates of Kabul, poised to conquer the country once and for all.
13 Aug 2021
Welcome Home
Season Two kicks off with Usman, our first wartime ally who was evacuated as part of Operation Allies Refuge. He has been in the United States for 72 hours and his relief is palpable. He shares his incredible journey of what it was like to leave his home and family in Afghanistan seemingly forever, pack his two bags, and journey to his new home in America. He takes us on the flight to freedom and shares what it was like to finally arrive safely in the United States and his dreams for the future. Finally, Matt provides a crucial update as the Taliban conquest of Afghanistan has their forces knocking on Kabul’s door.
28 Jul 2021
Attacked By The Taliban
Jan, an Afghan interpreter served with US special forces for 8 years. Now he is left behind. The Taliban attacked him a few days ago. He fought them off and barely escaped with his life. Now, even his own neighbors are telling him they hope the Taliban kill him when they take over.
23 Jul 2021
An Inflection Point
Chris Purdy, an Iraq war veteran & Director of Veterans for American Ideals and Kim Staffieri, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the Association of Wartime Allies, join Matt to give an overview of the mission & effort to save our Afghan wartime allies via the largest airlift since the Berlin airlift in 1948. They share the latest updates pertaining to Operation Allies Refuge and give the story of how advocates convinced the Biden administration that only an evacuation would save these people.
16 Jul 2021
Pinned Down
Wardak, an Afghan wartime ally, joins the podcast live from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan - the barn in which he’s hiding with livestock. He shares how the Taliban is 5 min away from him at every moment - always hunting him. He’s desperate to try and escape, but he’s pinned down with no where to run. Kristen Babicki from the Association of Wartime Allies also joins to share the latest in the advocacy to save our Afghan allies. Matt and Janis discuss the Operation Allies Refuge and the failure of the Biden administration to thus far save our wartime allies.
15 Jul 2021
No Way Out
Shareef contacted us to let us know he had returned to Kandahar to try and get the documents (his ID, passport, etc.) that he left behind when he fled the Taliban gunman who attacked his home, killing his dad. He retrieved the documents, but as he tried to make his way to the airport, the Taliban attacked and surrounded the city, cutting off access to the airport. Caught in the crossfire, Shareef got injured. Now he plans to disguise himself as a woman and attempt to try and sneak out of the city - it’s his only option. He’s surrounded by his killers with no way out.
9 Jul 2021
The Fight to Save a Life
Hemi, an Afghan wartime ally who served as an interpreter for US forces for 10 years, and Adam Malaty-Uhr, an US Army veteran and Afghan war veteran who served with Hemi, share their incredible story of the fight to get Hemi his visa and save his life. Janis and Matt discuss the disaster of a press conference by President Biden and the effort to convince the administration to evacuate our allies to Guam.
2 Jul 2021
Trump’s Immigration Ban
Munther, an Iraqi wartime ally, shares his story of service and survival. He had been issued a Special Immigration Visa and was on the plane to America when Trump signed the Muslim ban, immediately causing him and his family to be deported back to Iraq. Munther’s incredible journey begins with a childhood marred by war and finds him serving as an interpreter for US forces in Iraq. Most incredibly, he tells of his daring escape to safety in America (despite all the obstacles the Trump administration through at him) and offers his experiences of his first few months in America.
25 Jun 2021
The Cost of American Friendship
“Shareef,” an Afghan interpreter, served with US military special forces (to include SEAL Team 6) for 7 years. During that time, the Taliban murdered his mom and brother in an attempt to get him to quit working with Americans. Last week, the Taliban gunned down his father in front of his home. Now he is on the run, in hiding, and fleeing for his life.
19 Jun 2021
Trapped
Kim Staffieri (cofounder of the Association of Wartime Allies) returns and is joined by “Sayed” - an Afghan who served as an interpreter with the US Army for 11 years. Last week, he found out the US government denied him a Special Immigration Visa. As the Taliban surround Kabul and close in, he’s trapped.
11 Jun 2021
Blacklisted
Kristen Babicki (Air Force Veteran and Visa Advocate for the Association of Wartime Allies) and Miraj (an Afghan interpreter currently left behind in Afghanistan) join the podcast to share the plight of the “Blacklisted” - wartime allies who lost their jobs often due to absurd reasons and now find obtaining a life saving visa nearly impossible. Miraj shares what life in Afghanistan is currently like, the fear our wartime allies live with daily, and their hope we will evacuate them to Guam.
4 Jun 2021
The Engineer
Kim Staffieri (cofounder of the Association of Wartime Allies) and “Abdul” join the podcast to tell the epic tale of Abdul’s service with US forces. As an engineer, he helped build power plants, water treatment facilities, military bases, and even helped remove roadside bombs implanted by enemy forces. He is currently in hiding in India where he hopes one day America will answer his pleas and issue the visa he’s more than earned.
28 May 2021
On The Run
Afghan war veterans Spencer Sullivan (US Army) and Abdulhaq (Interpreter) share their incredible friendship & journey to save Abdulhaq’s life. Matt and Janis discuss the latest updates in the movement to evacuate our Afghan wartime allies to Guam.
22 May 2021
Brother
Afghan war veterans Matt Zeller (US Army) and his interpreter (Janis Shinwari) share the latest in the effort to evacuate Afghan wartime allies ahead of the US withdrawal. Janis shares why people choose to serve with American forces despite the considerable danger faced by them and their families. Matt and Janis also explore the Guam Option for rescuing our wartime allies. Finally, they discuss why Congress has chosen to embrace the Guam Option while the Biden administration is thus far AWOL.
21 May 2021
Our Mission
US Army & Afghan war veterans Matt Zeller and Janis Shinwari are on a mission - save the thousands of wartime allies who served with US forces. This episode previews the entire podcast to come. Each week we will tell the stories of those who served shoulder to shoulder together for the duration of the wars. Our hope is that these stories help galvanize an evacuation of our wartime allies to safety.
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