"Save The Stranded: A Post Afghan-American War Project"

By Scott Chapman and Russ Pritchard

The people of Afghanistan were our loyal Allies in the Global War on Terror for twenty years (2001-2021). The Afghan military professionals built careers around selfless service, and many trained extensively in the United States at the expense of the American taxpayer. When the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, the country collapsed to the Taliban. 

Many will recall the horrific last days when Afghans clung to the departing American planes hoping to escape. Our Afghan Allies lost their homes, their pensions, and their families. The men and women of the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing (SMW) arrived in the United States with the clothes on their backs and nothing more. 

They were given food stamps and a few months rent. At a time when our country is in dire need of pilots and airplane mechanics, the aviation professionals from Afghanistan living in the United States are working jobs in the rideshare industry or as cashiers in convenience stores. Most are trapped working several menial jobs to support themselves and feed their families still hiding from the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Afghan American Development Group (AADG) takes a tactical, and more logical, approach to helping former Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing personnel adjust to life in America. This requires a multi-step approach to overcoming mountains of paperwork, reunification with loved ones left behind, transitioning from military to civilian careers, and finding the right job. AADG creates hope, focused efforts, and helping new Afghan refugees succeed. 

Flooded by requests from around the world, a unanimous message vocalized to the writing team of Chapman and Pritchard, is a fear-driven plea for help. Since the Fall of Kabul, many Afghans are tortured and killed by the Taliban. Hunting humans while using tools and tactics taught by us, the U.S. Entire families, 11+++, are forced to relocate every few days to stay ahead of the Taliban death squads.

Our Afghan Allies were there for us for twenty years; we need to be here for them now. 

This is Colonel Halimi’s story: 

Colonel Halimi spent his youth watching Afghanistan fight the Russians. It was a bleak era for the people of Afghanistan, but a triumph over the Soviet invaders. His father served in the Afghan Army, and his mother was a housewife. In his teens, the family moved to Kabul hoping to find a secure place to live and formal education for their children. Halimi soared through primary school then followed in his father’s career path. He graduated from Army basic training in 1991 and had plans to enter the Military Academy but the civil war between the Mujahedin and the Taliban derailed his career plans. From 1996-2001, Halimi worked as a shopkeeper to support his family. It was a small shop, and he was able to earn enough money to provide the basic necessities for everyone he cared about.

When the coalition forces invaded Afghanistan and silenced the Taliban in 2001, Halimi was inspired to help defend his country. He joined the Afghan National Army (ANA) and graduated as a Second Lieutenant in 2002. Within his two-decade military career, he had orders to travel to the United States on four different occasions. 

In 2008, Halimi left Afghanistan (and his family) for more than a year to attend the Defense Language Institute (DLI) at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. After successfully completing DLI with a full comprehension of English, his new orders took him to the United States Army Quartermaster School in Ft. Lee, Virginia. Two years later, Halimi returned to the United States with orders to report to the U.S. Logistics University, also at Ft. Lee, Virginia. Hamili was home with his family in Afghanistan for less than eighteen months, then received another set of directives to attend training at the United States Army Command and General Staff College in 2012. Attending that prestigious school meant another year away from his family.

Upon completion of the General Officer training program in Leavenworth, KS, the Governor proclaimed him to be an honorary citizen of Leavenworth. He was even eligible for a State of Kansas driver’s license. A trivial task for a teenager to achieve, but a monumental achievement for a decorated Afghan National Army leader. Halimi returned to the United States for the final time in 2019 to attend a series of classes at the National Defense University in Washington D.C.

Beginning in 2012 and lasting until the final American plane left Kabul, Halimi worked with the Ministry of Defense (MOD). “I worked shoulder to shoulder with the US forces serving my country and doing my part in the name of Global War on Terror,” says Halimi. “Like all the coalition forces who were sacrificing time away from their families, I worked day and night to improve the quality of life in Afghanistan for Afghans. We had a strategic agreement and long-term goals. I never thought the U.S. and coalition forces would abandon the Afghan people after twenty years of help and support.”

In a letter dated August 17, 2021, a GS 14 DoD official wrote a Memorandum for the U.S. Embassy, Kabul which stated the following:

"3. Colonel Halimi was one of the most visible members of the Afghanistan Ministry of Defense….Colonel Halimi provided critical assistance coordinating actions with my office...Given his track record, there is no doubt in my mind regarding his safety; and the safety of his family being in jeopardy."

"4. Men like Colonel Halimi provided loyal and faithful service to their nation as well as taking action that was in the direct interest of the United States.we have a moral obligation to demonstrate our own loyalty and keep faith with them during this time.

An August 18, 2021 a Letter of Endorsement to a U.S. Senator from staff at the Command and General Staff College stated the following:"

"C. Integration potential: COL Halimi values education, to include education of females. His personal level of education, and his support of education for his wife and children indicate they would be adept and prepared for smooth integration into U.S."

“After the last plane left Kabul, the Taliban came looking for me and everyone I love. When they first came, I was hiding with my wife and my children in the basement of an abandoned building. They were heavily armed, and we had no way to defend ourselves. My father told me not to tell anyone where we were hiding because he knew the Taliban would return. After five days, they came back and tortured my dad hoping to extract my location. The Taliban beat my dad severely, but he gave them nothing. The Taliban took our car and destroyed our house. We move every few days living in basements trying to stay ahead of the Taliban. Many officers like me hide with their families waiting for help. Some have already been caught. These are people I know well. I don’t want to think about what the Taliban did to them, but the world must know what’s happening. The Taliban killed them and their families; all for trying to make Afghanistan a better place. We have no rights. No voice. We’ve given everything to our country and supported the coalition forces in any way they asked; and now the world has abandoned us. We don’t know what will happen to us if no one comes. All we know now is fear.”

Help us bring Halimi’s family to safety. Help AADG.