Guest Blog Post by Paul Bartel

Like all combat veterans, I am often drawn into reflection on the harrowing days of my warrior past. Through this inner conversation, I have learned to accept my identity as a killer of my fellow man. I have even reconciled the painful memories of friends who came home in flag-draped coffins by reminding myself that my fallen comrades, through their voluntary participation in war, understood the risks of their service.

Yet the war still haunts me. For, you see, the United States government has seemingly forgotten the pinnacle ideal that all American troops live by: never leave a man behind.

The brother that I left behind isn’t a Marine like myself. In fact, he isn’t even an American. Rather, he’s an Afghan national named Zia who served as an interpreter in my infantry company, several other American military units, and at the U.S. embassy in Kabul. For over three years, Zia helped the U.S. military accomplish its goals by providing a linguistic link to local populations in the most kinetic areas of Afghanistan.

Without the connection heroes like Zia provided, productive engagement with Afghans would have been impossible for American troops, Afghan communities would have remained unceasingly hostile to coalition forces, and more Americans would have perished as a result. To pursue the American goal of democracy in Afghanistan, Zia gave up three years with his wife and children, gambling his own life on the frontlines with US troops and risking his young family’s safety due to his allegiance.

Despite Zia’s service and sacrifice, he has now waited for over three years for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV). He’s not the only one; 10,000 Afghans who assisted U.S. forces have yet to find their way out of the bureaucratic maze that is the SIV process. In 2009, Congress passed the SIV program to ensure safe passage to the United States for Afghans employed by, or on behalf of, the U.S. government. Unfortunately, only 3,800 visas remain and the program is set to expire this year.

Unless Congress continues to fund this program, only a minority of Afghans who helped the United States will be able to claim what the American government promised them, and the rest will be left to fend for themselves.

And they remain in a country where the Taliban now hold more territory than when U.S. forces ousted the barbaric group in 2001. The enemy’s gains have forced many of our allies, including Zia, into hiding within Kabul, the last bastion of relative safety for those who worked alongside Americans. It may only be a matter of time before the security bubble in Kabul pops.

With the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, I wonder what will happen to my old friend. I fear that he will meet a fate similar to that of Sakhihad Afghan, a young interpreter tortured and killed by the Taliban last year. Just like Zia, Sakhihad was awaiting SIV approval. If the Taliban were to catch up with my wartime brother, what existence would his wife and children face?

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission asserted, in 2012, that the majority of Afghan women and girls trafficked into sexual slavery had lost their male head of household. It’s quite possible that his wife and daughters would endure such a future if Zia is killed. For now, Zia’s daughters walk to school every day among Islamic militants known to throw acid in young girls faces simply for pursuing education.

Though of competing political parties, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, and Ted Cruz have all alluded to America as the “Shining City on the Hill.” This shining city embraces citizenship not based upon religion, race, or political philosophy but, as Regan stated, based “upon the will and the heart to be there.” Have we really come to a point where we, as Americans, neglect this ideal?

My fellow veterans and I think not. For that reason, my veteran brothers, sisters, and I have created an initiative called Veterans for American Ideals. One of our goals is to help bring these brave Afghan men and women to safety in the United States.

Please join us and tell Congress to extend the Special Immigrant Visa Program by visiting vfai.org/svi. Show the US government that we will acknowledge the promise we made to our allies by hash-tagging #SaveTheSIV. Let it be made clear to those around the world and those we may one day count on in a conflict that America stands by those who assist us.

Join us in ensuring that those of us who fought leave no man behind. 

**Since the writing of this column, Zia has been informed by the State Department that he and his family must now complete their medical examinations, which is the last step in the process to come to the United States. (Ooh-rah!) We have begun a gofundme campaign to assist him with the expenses for the exams and for when he arrives in the United States.

Veterans for American Ideals leader Paul Bartel is a Marine Corps veteran who served in Afghanistan. He is a resident of Chicago and is completing a masters in international relations at the University of Chicago.