{"id":56025,"date":"2022-01-23T20:59:08","date_gmt":"2022-01-23T20:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T14:06:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T14:06:03","slug":"veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterans helping Afghan veterans, allies after withdrawal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have a moral obligation to find a path for those who so valiantly demonstrated their dedication to freedom, liberty, and the individual rights of all Afghans. America owes a debt and Moral Compass is here to ensure that debt is paid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<cite>Ben Owen, Flanders Fields<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As veterans, we live by the moral code of never leaving a comrade behind. That is, and always has been, the <a href=\"https:\/\/soaa.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Special Operations Association of America\u2019s<\/a> guiding principle. The past five months, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/08\/15\/anger-worry-among-members-of-congress-as-afghanistan-government-falls\/\" target=\"_blank\">the fall of Afghanistan<\/a>, has been hard on our members, our community, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2021\/08\/31\/more-vets-reaching-out-for-crisis-line-help-amid-afghanistan-collapse\/\" target=\"_blank\">the greater veteran community<\/a>, and the thousands of civilian volunteers who stepped forward to help save lives. SOAA recognizes the strain and personal conflict that our community is experiencing \u2014 what we have deemed, the moral injury \u2014 a belief that our work in Afghanistan was just and that our country made a promise to those who served beside us over the past 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo support our veteran community, I am honored to announce the creation of the Moral Compass Federation \u2014 a group of 16 Special Operations Forces focused non-profit organizations, who have been working tirelessly to keep our promise to our Afghan partners and allies,\u201d said Daniel Elkins, CEO of SOAA. \u201cThe Federation\u2019s ranks include experts with non-profit and diplomatic experience, while leveraging its core leadership who have 10-to-20 years each of Special Operations combat experience supporting the mission in Afghanistan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2021\/11\/10\/some-veterans-struggling-following-afghan-collapse\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/afghan-women.png.png?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Some veterans struggling following Afghan collapse<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">While I returned home in July 2020, Afghanistan did not leave me.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Federation was established to pool resources and shared experiences to provide for humanitarian aid, shelter, and forward movement for the men and women who stood alongside American service members and who remain trapped in Afghanistan. \u201cWe evaluated our situation and developed a SOF-centric team with the skills and determination to complete the mission we promised to our Afghan teammates no matter the cost,\u201d said Mike Edwards of Project Exodus Relief, one of the veteran Afghan evacuation groups who answered the call in August 2021 during the fall of Kabul and assisted in evacuating thousands of Afghan partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Focused on education, advocacy, and policy solutions for the Afghan Special Operations Forces, Afghan Air Force, and Special Mission Wing and members of the National Directorate of Security \u2014 here in the United States and in Afghanistan \u2014 the Federation is assisting thousands of members of the Afghan special operations community in Afghanistan, as well as helping those in the United States adjust to their new lives. \u201cResettlement in the U.S. is another commitment we owe these men and women, and we will diligently work shoulder-to-shoulder with re-settlement organizations around the country,\u201d stated retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General David Hicks of Operation Sacred Promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Moral Compass Federation is unique from other evacuation coalitions as it focused solely on the needs of American and Afghan veterans and their families, to specifically address the issues facing the special operations community \u2014 from being a nexus here at home for veterans who have been working non-stop since August to being a unified voice to advocate for those Afghan special operators and their families left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is estimated that 2,000 members of the Afghan Special Forces made it onto U.S. bound evacuation flights, in addition to 150 U.S.-trained Afghan pilots who escaped to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to ensure their helicopters did not fall into the hands of the Taliban, and are now en route to the United States. More than 20,000 special operations forces, and their families, remain trapped in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2021\/12\/17\/we-need-your-help-a-letter-to-president-joe-biden\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"197\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AFghanBye.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">\u2018We need your help:\u2019 A letter to President Joe Biden<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">I need your help to save my family as I risked everything to save many soldiers as I could during the War on Terror.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With each passing day, the threat to these men and women grows, as the Taliban continues to hunt them, district by district. \u201cThe Moral Compass Federation foresees the need for future generations to understand the commitment to indigenous fighting forces such as the ANASOF soldiers that fought with us for two decades. A loud and clear message that America stands by its commitments to its allies who served in trust,\u201d said Stacy Duke Gentile of Task Force North Star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The moral injury of the fall of Afghanistan has affected thousands of U.S. veterans and survivors. \u201cOur job will not be done until the U.S. government fulfills its promise,\u201d Elkins said. \u201cMoral Compass provides a safe outlet for those who continue to carry that burden.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShoulder to shoulder,\u201d \u201cnever above and never below but always beside,\u201d \u201cby thru and with\u201d: These are the mantras at the core of every Moral Compass member. Special Operations Association of America is proud to represent the Moral Compass Federation and its work on behalf of the Combat Special Operations community. Our collective commitment will allow Moral Compass to focus on solutions to assist our Afghan counterparts, so they are ready for extraction, when the time comes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Travis Peterson is a retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant and founding member of the Moral Compass Federation. Members of the Moral Compass Federation include the Special Operations Association of America, Aces &amp; Eights, CEEC.CHURCH, Flanders Fields, The Lifeline Foundation, OP620, Operation Freedom Birds, Operation Recovery, Operation Sacred Promise, Project Exodus, R20, Task Force Argo, Task Force Diablo, Task Force Hawk, Task Force North Star, and Task Force Pineapple.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Have an opinion?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>This article is an Op-Ed and as such, the opinions expressed are those of the authors. If you would like to respond, or have an editorial of your own you would like to submit, please <\/i><a href=\"mailto:haltman@militarytimes.com\"><i>email Military Times Managing Editor Howard Altman<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Want more perspectives like this sent straight to you? <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/link.militarytimes.com\/join\/5b9\/sign-up-opinion\"><i>Subscribe to get our Commentary &amp; Opinion newsletter<\/i><\/a><i> once a week.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The moral injury of the fall of Afghanistan has affected thousands of U.S. veterans and survivors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":94986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":75,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[75,101,23,24,89,26,18],"tags":[8495,8496],"coauthors":[6426],"class_list":["post-56025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-daily-news-roundup","category-disaster","category-home","category-middle-column","category-newsletters","category-opinion","tag-commentary","tag-opinion"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"DR4H5TZDL5EFZM2MX3VAT3JY3E","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Veterans helping Afghan veterans, allies after withdrawal - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The moral injury of the fall of Afghanistan has affected thousands of U.S. veterans and survivors.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Veterans helping Afghan veterans, allies after withdrawal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The moral injury of the fall of Afghanistan has affected thousands of U.S. veterans and survivors.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-01-23T20:59:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-20T14:06:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Travis Peterson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Travis Peterson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Veterans helping Afghan veterans, allies after withdrawal\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-23T20:59:08+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-20T14:06:03+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 914,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6188786.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"keywords\": [\n\t                \"commentary\",\n\t                \"opinion\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Commentary\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Disaster | Advertiser Safety\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Opinion\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Veterans helping Afghan veterans, allies after withdrawal - Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6188786.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-23T20:59:08+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-20T14:06:03+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The moral injury of the fall of Afghanistan has affected thousands of U.S. veterans and survivors.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6188786.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6188786.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/23\\\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Opinion\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"opinion\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Commentary\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/opinion\\\/commentary\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"commentary\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Veterans helping Afghan veterans, allies after withdrawal\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Air Force TImes\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Veterans helping Afghan veterans, allies after withdrawal - Air Force TImes","description":"The moral injury of the fall of Afghanistan has affected thousands of U.S. veterans and survivors.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Veterans helping Afghan veterans, allies after withdrawal","og_description":"The moral injury of the fall of Afghanistan has affected thousands of U.S. veterans and survivors.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/","og_site_name":"Air Force TImes","article_published_time":"2022-01-23T20:59:08+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-20T14:06:03+00:00","author":"Travis Peterson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Travis Peterson","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Veterans helping Afghan veterans, allies after withdrawal","datePublished":"2022-01-23T20:59:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-20T14:06:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/"},"wordCount":914,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6188786.jpg.jpg","keywords":["commentary","opinion"],"articleSection":["Commentary","Daily News Roundup","Disaster | Advertiser Safety","Home","Middle Column","Newsletters","Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/","name":"Veterans helping Afghan veterans, allies after withdrawal - Air Force TImes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6188786.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2022-01-23T20:59:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-20T14:06:03+00:00","description":"The moral injury of the fall of Afghanistan has affected thousands of U.S. veterans and survivors.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6188786.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6188786.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2022\/01\/23\/veterans-helping-afghan-veterans-allies-after-withdrawal\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Opinion","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/","ad_zone":"opinion"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Commentary","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/","ad_zone":"commentary"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Veterans helping Afghan veterans, allies after withdrawal"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","name":"Air Force TImes","description":"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization","name":"Air Force TImes","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","caption":"Air Force TImes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Air Force TImes","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6188786.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56025"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96003,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56025\/revisions\/96003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56025"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=56025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}