{"id":46344,"date":"2021-04-03T01:40:43","date_gmt":"2021-04-03T01:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/04\/03\/united-states-of-al-a-comedy-that-brings-home-the-deadly-dilemma-faced-by-afghan-interpreters\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:05:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:05:00","slug":"united-states-of-al-a-comedy-that-brings-home-the-deadly-dilemma-faced-by-afghan-interpreters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2021\/04\/03\/united-states-of-al-a-comedy-that-brings-home-the-deadly-dilemma-faced-by-afghan-interpreters\/","title":{"rendered":"United States of Al: a comedy that brings home the deadly dilemma faced by Afghan interpreters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CBS has a new show, \u201c<\/i>United States of Al<\/i><\/a>,\u201d about a Marine veteran named Riley, home at last after serving in Afghanistan. He is happily reunited with his friend Awalmir, who goes by Al, the interpreter with his unit, after a long struggle to get him a visa to travel to the United States from Afghanistan.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For thousands of those who risked their lives to help American troops, life is anything but funny.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for Army veteran Matt Zeller and Afghan interpreter Janis Shinwari, co-founders of <\/i>No One Left Behind<\/i><\/a> \u2014 a non-profit dedicated to ensuring that America keeps its promise to our allies and their families who risked their lives for our freedom<\/i> \u2014 the sitcom is a chance to let the American public know the sacrifices these men and women made for them.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are thrilled that the American people are finally becoming familiar with the experience of our Afghan and Iraqi wartime allies \u2014 especially our interpreters. As our friend and fellow veteran Chase Millsap, a creator of the show says, we hope it helps folks heal through laughter. We also hope it draws attention to what matters most – the plight of those still left behind in Afghanistan and Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently there are over 18,000 applicants in Afghanistan alone awaiting decisions on their visa applications. Most have been waiting at least four years. They don\u2019t have time to wait any more. Our enemies are hunting them down and murdering them and their families \u2014 as examples of what happens to America\u2019s friends. We need the American government to process their applications immediately and expedite those who have been waiting the longest and are in most danger. We need our fellow citizens to contact their members of Congress and ask them to remove the cap on visas and the sunset provision on the program. Everyone who has worked and earned a visa through their service should receive a visa as soon as possible. Visas are not a finite resource that once mined are gone forever. They are a figment of our creation. We need Congress to authorize the State department to create as many as possible for as long as possible in both Afghanistan and Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Courtesy Matt Zeller<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Should collapse come in Afghanistan, it will happen faster than Washington can respond to it. Afghanistan is not Vietnam. We do not have an ocean and boats with which to facilitate a rapid evacuation. We are not the Soviets. We do not have the luxury of getting to drive north into Tajikistan during our withdrawal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When collapse occurs in Afghanistan, it will engender a rapid evacuation that, given Afghanistan\u2019s unique place in the world and our geopolitical relations with its neighbors, must occur via air. There are four, maybe five airfields in all of Afghanistan that will be able to handle the airlift needed to rapidly evacuate our own personnel and absolutely must have equipment. Our Afghan wartime allies \u2014 the interpreters, engineers, truck drivers, cooks, etc. without whom we couldn\u2019t have accomplished any of what we\u2019ve done thus far and thanks to whom many of us are still alive \u2014 they and their families will likely be our lowest priority for the scarce seats available on the few flights out. We have to understand, anyone who worked with us, has likely excommunicated themselves from the society around them thanks to that work. They are viewed by that society as American spies, traitors, and in the worst case, apostates. We have an obligation to save these people while we can – which is now.<\/p>\n\n\n