I fear we're going to leave Afghanistan the way we left Bagram : in the middle of the night, without telling our Afghan friends.

Matt Zeller

The positive is in the last four years our organization has grown from an organization that started out in Washington D.C [...] to now having operations in eight cities across the United States on both coasts and in the heartland[s], in addition, we're opening up another three chapters this year.

There's people who die because they were forced by those organizations to flee before they could get their hands on them.

Starbucks, like we do, acknowledge their sacrifice and their effo... by Matt Zeller

Starbucks, like we do, acknowledge their sacrifice and their effort is that of a veteran.

I think the fact that random Americans, who weren’t even old enough to remember the reason we went to Afghanistan, can recognize the importance of us keeping out word to those who helped us, it gives me a lot of hope, the fact that the still know the importance of honoring our promises and the willingness of complete strangers to something like this says a lot.

This bill is awful. by Matt Zeller

This bill is awful.

It does not authorize any new visas. by Matt Zeller

It does not authorize any new visas.

The new law requires that they get testimony from some who saw them on military base for work, but understand, it’s been at least three years and many troops have returned home.

In fact, in the 110th Congress, I successfully added an amendment to legislation, which was later signed into law, that extended immigration relief to Iraqi nationals who publicly served the U.S. as government contract translators. Having said that, there must be reasonable limits on these programs.

If they learn that there is no real safe way for them, they will flee to Europe or elsewhere like so many others have already done.

Our Afghan and Iraqi combat translators have been left to die, the Taliban, Daesh [ ISIS ], Al Qaeda, and our other enemies do not have an amnesty or reconciliation program. They have one punishment for ‘ collaboration with the infidels ’ -- death. A brutal horrible death. They mutilate their victims. They rape their victims and their families in front of each other and then kill them. The worst deaths imaginable.

We've been there. We understand what it's like to come from that experience and then find yourself dropped into this environment and how quite frankly overwhelming that it can be.

He calls me his guardian angel, i just want to hug him.

What we fear is that if our numbers are correct, if there's some 175,000 people, the SIVs, family members and the P1 and P2 applicants that were left behind, we estimate this could take the better part of the next 10 years. That's even if we can get them out alive.

It feels like a fundamental betrayal, so many of us who were working this issue warned for years this was exactly what was going to happen and for the last several months have been pleading with the Biden administration to launch the evacuation they're now desperately trying to conceive now that the country has fallen.

These are people we relied on, that we promised that we wouldn't leave them behind. And we've abandoned them through bureaucracy and through failing to have a plan to get them out. And they're being hunted. They're being hunted and murdered.

I'm now sitting here 20 years removed almost from the very event that propelled me into the military, which was the attacks of September 11, and now I'm wondering if the last 20 years were completely pointless and in vain.

I just basically asked anyone who would listen,' Will you help me ? I owe this person my life. I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I will cash in and call in whatever favor. I will owe whatever it is that I need to owe. Tell me what it is that I need to do to get you to help me,'.