“My family died because of ME!”
It was the fourth time in our video chat that he’d shouted those words. The man I was speaking to, who I’ll call Ahmad, is safe in Texas now with his wife and children. He’ll be an American citizen soon. But he was born in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. He was 16 years old when U.S. forces arrived in his town, liberating the people from Taliban oppression.
“Why did you decide to work with the Americans?” I asked.
“They were the human rights people,” he said. “They were giving us a chance.”
Faithful reader, if you are lucky, you know someone who has served in the war in Afghanistan. Maybe you know a true hero who has served multiple tours. I know men who have served three or four. Four years in the war in Afghanistan.
Ahmad served with American soldiers for 16 years. President Joe Biden is fond of criticizing Afghans for not fighting enough for their country — when did you serve in the military, Joe? — but here is an Afghan who served for more than a decade and a half.
When he talks to me, Ahmad cycles through grief, rage, and, when speaking about his military service, pride. He served with American forces as an interpreter and as a fighter. He was a commander of Quick Reaction Forces at Jalalabad. If American soldiers were being lit up by the enemy and called for assistance, Ahmad and his men would race to the rescue. Doubtless, many Americans are alive today because of his efforts.
Ahmad is one of dozens of good Afghans, allies of the United States and our military, who send me desperate messages in the wake of Biden’s betrayal and abandonment of Afghanistan. Most of the messages ask me to contact the State Department or to track down Americans with whom they served. Not long into our video chat, I realized Ahmad mostly needed someone to listen to his anguish and justifiable rage.
The Taliban found Ahmad’s family in Afghanistan. They murdered his mother and father. They kidnapped his brother and his brother’s wife.
Ahmad rattled off a long list of soldiers with whom he’d served, including some of my own brothers from the Iowa Army National Guard. “I need 10 guys. I f*** the Taliban in one day!” He wept. He writhed in internal agony.
“I was a very strong person in the missions. I’m not crying!” he insisted. “This you see on my face? It’s because my heart is breaking.”
“Where’s the f***ing American forces?” Ahmad shouted. “Joe Biden gives my country to terrorists! It’s not just the Taliban. It’s al Qaeda. They all come back. Nobody in any country will help America again. You understand? You guys losing the trust of people … because you surrender my family!”
A heavy dread pressed down in the core of my being as Ahmad begged for my help. I told him how sorry I was for his terrible loss. I told him I could not help him except by sharing his story.
“I say tell to Joe Biden, ‘I defend the United States. I stay with the United States side. I supported American forces in Afghanistan, and now, he leave my mom and dad, and they kill them because of me!‘” he said. “Tell Joe Biden to give me a plane to go to Afghanistan. I give myself to Taliban. I work with Americans, not [my family]! Do not hurt them!”
My pain could never be as sharp as Ahmad’s, but I grieve for his loss. I listened to his grief for over a half-hour, powerless to help. Finally, I asked one of my old Iowa Army National Guard friends, a man who had served with Ahmad, to take the watch so that he wouldn’t be alone. Ahmad fought for the U.S. in the war in Afghanistan longer than hundreds of thousands of American soldiers, and because of Biden’s betrayal, he paid a terribly high price. We must remember Ahmad’s service. It is our duty to honor him.
*Some names and call signs in this story may have been changed due to operational security or privacy concerns.
Trent Reedy served as a combat engineer in the Iowa National Guard from 1999 to 2005, including a tour of duty in Afghanistan.