AWARENOW
AFGHANISTAN ISSUE 01
P R E S E N T E D B Y T H E U P P E R W O O D F O U N D AT I O N
THE WAR EDITION STORIES OF THOSE LEFT BEHIND
On August 15, 2021, the country of Afghanistan collapsed to the Taliban, religious extremists who had been held at bay by the United States and NATO presence for almost two decades. The Taliban entered the capital of Kabul, once called the “Paris” of central Asia, and isolated the remaining American military in the civilian HKIA airport. While Afghan military pilots were ordered to fly their planes and helicopters to other countries, which meant abandoning their families, President Ghani covertly escaped from Afghanistan in a cadre of helicopters full of cars and upwards of $167 million in cash. For the next two weeks, American soldiers inside a defenseless airport tried to coordinate evacuation from Afghanistan of hundreds of thousands of American citizens, legal permanent residents of the United States, Afghans eligible for citizenship, and loyal Afghan allies who would be marked for death as result of that loyalty. It was chaotic, ineffective, and on August 26th, a suicide bomber killed 13 Marines and scores of Afghan civilians near one of the gates. The last U.S. plane left Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, an ignominious end, stranding huge numbers of vulnerable Americans and Afghans hoping for evacuation. Almost immediately, American civilians, retired military, and even active military formed volunteer groups to aid in the ongoing evacuation of Afghans. For several months, there was success by air with charters funded by the Department of State and many by private donors. In addition, large numbers of Afghans evacuated over land routes to neighboring countries. As late fall loomed, air and ground extracts came to a halt, and dozens of evacuation groups grew stale and stagnant. Many volunteer groups formed by civilians with political ambitions thumped their chests with contributions raised while having zero points on the board for people evacuated and people fed. Emergency services such as fire, rescue and medical response units ceased to exist in Afghanistan, and any aid coming into to country via international programs was seized by the Taliban. Food was scarce, inflation rampant, and 90% of Afghans could not afford proper medical care. Most pregnant women ceased pre-natal care when the country fell. As the weather grew cold, panic set in among Afghans as many had sold their charris, wood burning stoves and a house’s sole source of heat, believing they would be evacuated before winter set in. Afghans faced death from starvation and freezing temperatures – not to mention the systematic execution of those who supported the United States, women’s rights, and religious freedoms. It was during the days of this darkening reality, when evacuations had stopped, and hope for many crashed, that the Upperwood Foundation was born. Successful and experienced international aviation entrepreneurs wishing to remain private, recognized this was not the time to take a victory lap. Life experience and history taught them solutions for Afghans required long term vision and unspent donor funded bank accounts in the many evacuation groups did not feed people, did not provide medical care, nor help recently arrived Afghan refugees placed in welfare systems start their lives over. The entrepreneurs formed the UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION with three main points of foci known as Corps: Medical, Supply, and Aviation Cadet. This is not an ask. This is a tell. The Upperwood Foundation does not seek donations. It seeks to promote awareness. Every day history is made, but not every day is history reported. Please follow us to hear stories of heroic humans overcoming tremendous odds to survive and find life again. Learn more at www.upperwood.com. Photo Credit: Air Force Staff Sgt. Alexander Riedel
THE WAR EDITION AFGHANISTAN Dedicated to the unseen and unheard stories of our Afghan allies. Presented by Upperwood Foundation and produced by Awareness Ties, AwareNow Afghanistan is a platform built to broadcast voices that should be heard. What follows are photos never before seen and stories not yet heard… until now.
Please note that for photos where we don’t show complete faces, it’s because we cannot. To do so jeopardizes the safety of Afghans in the United States and in Afghanistan. One day, we hope that their photos can be as loud as their voices.
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A-29 SQUADRON ROOM IN KABUL ON AUGUST 15, 2021 THE BEGINNING OF THE END
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RETURNING TO THE SKY UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION FORMS PROGRAM FOR AFGHAN PILOTS
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THE FORGOTTEN MAINTAINERS OF AFGHANISTAN TRAINED IN THE U.S. & ABANDONED IN AFGHANISTAN
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BARRY OBERHOLZER, UNBRIDLED HUMANITARIAN AMPLIFYING THE ‘POWER OF ONE’
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DELIVERING HOPE HEARING THE UNHEARD & HELPING THE UNSEEN IN AFGHANISTAN
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SAVING AZIZ INTERVIEW WITH CHAD ROBICHAUX
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HIGH RANKING IN HIDING U.S. TRAINED AFGHAN MILITARY OFFICERS TRAPPED IN AFGHANISTAN
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THE KHIDER DISTRICT MASSACRE THE UNTOLD STORY OF AUGUST 30, 2021
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BABY ABDUL’S STORY INFANT MORTALITY IN AFGHANISTAN
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SCHOOL BOMBINGS THE TALIBAN’S UNTOLD SLAUGHTER OF STUDENTS
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BATTLES WON UPPERWOOD VICTORIES ALONG THE WAY
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UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
www.IamAwareNow.com
On that day, at that time, we did not know what would happen to us… LT. COL. MOMOAND
AFGHAN AIR FORCE A-29 PILOT 4
UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RUSS PRITCHARD & ALLIÉ MCGUIRE
A-29 SQUADRON ROOM IN KABUL ON AUGUST 15,, 2021 THE BEGINNING OF THE END
This is one of the most iconic and historic photographs I have ever seen. The emotion conveyed in the body language is overwhelming - if one understands the context behind it. It’s August 15, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan. It’s 1:20pm in the afternoon, 08:50 Zulu time as shown by the aviator’s clock on the wall forever documenting the moment. The country of Afghanistan has collapsed. The Taliban have taken the capital of Kabul and are advancing through residential areas. Hours before, President Ghani fled the country by helicopter with $167 million in cash and four luxury cars. This is the squadron room of the A-29 Afghan Air Force pilots. They are, to coin an American phrase, the “best of the best” and spent years in the United States training to achieve maximum levels of proficiency and professionalism. At the time this photograph was taken, many Afghan pilots had flown their aircraft to adjacent countries to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Taliban. This is the last of the pilots, in their flight suits prepared to fly missions, but there is no country. The internet is down. The chain of command is broken, and communications have ceased. The airport tower and runways are controlled by Taliban. It is the end, and there is nowhere to go. With us today is Russ Pritchard and three of the Afghan Air Force A-29 pilots in this photograph who managed to escape and are now in the United States. I wish to welcome Lieutenant Colonel Momand, First Lieutenant Stanakzai, and First Lieutenant Amiri. ALLIÉ: Lieutenant Colonel Momand, can you give us the background from your perspective as to what was going on at 1:20pm on August 15th, 2021?
LT. COL. MOMOAND: When I see this picture, I go back to that day. I still remember those hours, minutes, and seconds we endured with the aircraft mechanics and intelligence officers. It is a very historic photograph because it captures the desperation. We were professional Afghan Air Force pilots who fought terrorism from the air for six years. On that day, at that time, we did not know would happen to us, nor our families, and our friends.
The chaos began about twelve hours earlier with the collapse of other provinces. Three of our A-29 planes in Mazar e Sharif had been lost to gunfire and sabotage. We were all in disbelief as to how quickly things were collapsing around us, and we were trying to consolidate the remaining planes. On the morning of August 15th, we received a verbal order from Air Force Commander to prepare to defend Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. By the time this photograph was taken, the Taliban had entered Kabul. We had lost communication with our mission planning unit and with the Ministry of Defense. All communications were down and gunfire could be heard in the distance.
ALLIÉ: Lieutenant Stanakzai, you are off to the side in this photograph with your head buried in your hands. Can you tell me how you were feeling? What was going through your mind? 5
UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
It is important to understand the role of the A-29 pilot and why there were so few of us. 1ST LT. STANAKZAI
AFGHAN AIR FORCE A-29 PILOT 6
UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
1ST LT. STANAKZAI: It was like a nightmare. It just couldn’t be real. In such a short time, the entire country fell to Taliban control. Our last hope was the capital city of Kabul. It was where I was born, where I had gone to school for twelve years, where I lived. I was thinking about my time at the Air Force Academy, training in the Czech Republic for 15 months to earn my wings, then two years training in the United States to become a Afghan Air Force pilot. While in the U.S, I lost one of my sisters and two nephews. Was it all for nothing? At the time this photograph was taken, we couldn’t reach anyone. It was just us in the squadron room talking to two of our maintainers not knowing if we would be alive in an hour.
ALLIÉ: I understand the internet was down and communication almost nonexistent. One of the men in this photograph is married to an American citizen in Texas, and he had just tried to call her unsuccessfully. How about you, Lieutenant Amiri? Was it hard to reach your families at this moment? What were you telling the people you could reach?
1ST LT. AMIRI: As Lt. Col. Momand mentioned, at that moment everyone was in shock. It was hard to accept things were going to get worse. We were ready to fly and protect Kabul, and then we realized the Taliban had already taken the city. Everything had fallen apart. We lost all communication, the networks were down, and the chain of command was broken. I was looking to find a way to pass my last words on to my wife and tell her to stay strong and tell my family I love them.
ALLIÉ: Please tell me what was going on outside the walls of the squadron room. I understand the Taliban were close by. Could you get in your planes and fly at all at this time?
LT. COL. MOMAND: We had received a verbal order around noon to defend Kabul, and our airfield was close by, but we were hearing constant gunfire, and social media earlier in the morning showed Taliban throughout the city. Two of our aircraft were supposed to be moved to the maintenance field, but we couldn’t accomplish that because the security guards did not receive the order. They said, “The Air Force commander is not answering his phone. The communication has fallen.” So, we couldn't even get to our aircraft to fly them. The system we used no longer existed. We were inside our squadron room, but at the time of this photograph, we were not able to reach our aircraft.
ALLIÉ: How did you get out of Afghanistan and how did you get to the United States?
LT. COL. MOMAND: Eventually, later in the day, some of the high-ranking military were able to communicate on the feasibility of defending Kabul. We could not bomb the Taliban or fire at them from the air because of the risk to civilians and hospitals. The Air Force commander and our American Advisors instructed the pilots of all aircraft to fly all Air Force assets out of the country so they would not fall into the hands of the Taliban - which meant leaving our families behind.
ALLIÉ: Is there anything that anyone else would like to add to that?
1ST LT. STANAKZAI: It is important to understand the role of the A-29 pilot and why there were so few of us. You can build airplanes; you can buy airplanes, but you can’t train every pilot to be a Afghan Air Force pilot. It requires a certain mentality and specific abilities. You can find guys with great body strength but who throw up in a Afghan Air Force jet cabin or have a fear of heights. If the Taliban captured us and our planes, they would use our family and friends against us, to control us, to make us bomb and kill innocent people. This is why we were forced to leave.
ALLIÉ: It’s interesting what you shared. The fact of the matter is that not only is the aircraft a value and a weapon for the Taliban to use, but you as pilots with your skillsets and your training are of huge value to them. For that reason, you had to get out and away. Thank you for sharing that. I understand that two of you have immediate families that are left behind in Afghanistan. How hard has it been for them? Are your children able to go to school? What is their reality right now?
1ST LT. AMIRI: First, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our friends and allies who are working hard day and night, standing beside us shoulder to shoulder in these hard times. More than anything else we hope to have our 7
UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
The Taliban is searching house by house for people with military backgrounds and specifically the families of A-29 pilots. 1ST LT. AMIRI
AFGHAN AIR FORCE A-29 PILOT 8
UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
1ST LT. AMIRI: (continued) families here. The Taliban regime are enemy of education, economy, religion, and humanity. They’re looking to kill every individual who stands against them. Currently schools are closed. My family left the house we used to live in. They change their location every month because the Taliban is searching house by house for people with military backgrounds and specifically the families of A-29 pilots. For most families, their only supporter is now out of the country. For nine months, there has been no income, and families suffer severe financial problems. We are grateful to those who are working day and night to find a path to evacuate our wives and children from Afghanistan. Families need to be reunited. There's no future for anyone living there under Taliban rule.
1ST LT. STANAKZAI: Our families are only safe if they can remain hidden. They are going through very difficult times. We thank our friends and our advisors we have here. For children there's no future in Afghanistan. The Taliban set off bombs in schools killing hundreds. It’s called terrorism for a reason. It inflicts terror into the hearts and minds of innocent people.
1ST LT. AMIRI: Families won't allow their children to go to school in a war zone. Taliban suicide bombers go into schools, mosques, on any street corner. There's no work and no education. The Taliban’s goal is to destroy the infrastructure of Afghanistan.
ALLIÉ: Thank you for sharing that reality. So many people don't see and don't understand the severity of the situation. They don’t see what’s really happening there now. I understand that Russ and the Upperwood Foundation delivered food and wood and to your families over the winter. Was this critical to their survival?
1ST LT. STANAKZAI: Yes Ma'am. Russ is doing a great, great job. He gets 1000 - 1500 text messages a day, and yet he is always available to us. Beyond that, he helps a lot of people in Afghanistan. There are people with serious medical issues, people with severe economic issues and don’t have anything to eat. Pregnant women no longer can see doctors or afford the proper care. Russ is helping all of those people. He and Upperwood coordinated deliveries of food, wood, and clothing this past winter for many families in Afghanistan. They fed thousands each month who were starving, and they continue feeding people even now. Over here, he is taking care of us. Every week he will call or message us two or three times to see if we need anything. He and Upperwood are working hard to provide pilots and mechanics with careers in commercial aviation. Russ does a really a good job. He's always supportive, and he takes care of everyone as best as he can. If Russ hears me, I would like to tell him thank you so much for everything you do for Afghans.
LT. COL. MOMAND: I would like to thank and recognize Russ and the Upperwood Foundation for all their support. Last winter was different than any other winter for us - especially for my family because I was out Afghanistan. I have a brother who is also military, and he was out of Afghanistan as well. I have a wife and my kids are very young, five and three years old. Since the Taliban seized control Afghanistan, women can’t go outside to buy food and other necessities. So, we thank and appreciate Russ because he and Upperwood provided my family with food and wood that kept them warm during the cold winter. Somehow, he managed to deliver all these things right to the door where my family is in hiding in Afghanistan. It was very tight security, and I really appreciate that.
Russ and the Upperwood Foundation are working hard to reunite us with our families. They are the only ones requesting and submitting the proper paperwork. And as Lt. Stanakzai said, Russ is always available. I mean we call Russ twenty-four hours a day. We called him when we were in UAE and now here spread across three time zones. It’s like, whenever we face anything, okay, let's call Russ. And he's always saying that - I'm available twenty-four hours a day, please call me. I think it’s unique. I am very grateful for him and his family. He's an example that I hope to be in my future. He's a great example that everyone should follow. Thank you, Russ.
ALLIÉ: It's my understanding that the three of you are in the second class of ground school funded by the Upperwood Foundation to pursue careers in commercial aviation. How do you feel about that? How do you feel about being able to continue flying for your career again?
LT. COL. MOMAND: I think starting a new life is hard, especially in a foreign country. Our careers as Afghan Air Force pilots developed in Afghanistan. In the U.S. our situation is different. We are lucky that we trained here for many years but living and making a future is something else. I thought that we would be starting from zero, but Russ and the 9
UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
I have a hard time sleeping nights, because of what’s going on in Kabul… I cannot live without my family. LT. COL. MOMAND
AFGHAN AIR FORCE A-29 PILOT 10 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
“I can recall the absolute dread I was feeling. My whole Air Force career was gone, and I knew we would be hunted. I knew our families, if found, would be killed.” LT. COL. MOMAND: (continued) Upperwood Foundation are helping us with flight school. I will be able to continue with my career and able to support my family when they come here.
1ST LT. STANAKZAI: Every challenge or a hard time you go through strengthens you. We are looking forward to flying again and focusing on our careers. When someone is telling you that he can help with what you love and want, it makes you feel better and stronger. The most important thing I would say is that no one should give up, no one should quit. So, thanks to everyone that’s helping us in this project to rebuild our flying careers.
ALLIÉ: In addition to getting you back in the sky, we also must focus on getting families back together. I imagine that is a huge priority. How hard has it been being separated for almost ten months now?
1ST LT. AMIRI: Family is first, and family is everything. Although we were able to follow orders and get out our planes out of Afghanistan, we are incomplete. Wives, children, families remain in hiding in Afghanistan. They suffer because there is no work, no job, nothing. Getting jobs here allow us to send money home to pay for food, medicine, and clothing, and also the required passports. There's a lot of things going on especially through the Upperwood Foundation to help us. Russ works with us every day to help reunite us with our families so that we can be complete. That’s a goal we all share.
LT. COL. MOMAND: I have a hard time sleeping nights, because of what's going on in Kabul, and in all of Afghanistan. The Taliban is looking for our families. We have intel reports they are especially searching for the families of A-29 pilots because we were the force that did the most damage to the Taliban. I live in fear of my family being captured and tortured. I hope the Department of the State expedites our family reunification process. I cannot live without my family.
ALLIÉ: For all of you, that was your last day in uniform for the Afghan Air Force. If you could sum up that photograph in one sentence, what would it be?
1ST LT. STANAKZAI: For me, it’s not one sentence. It is one word – nightmare. We were all wondering what the Taliban would do to us and our families. I had received mental and emotional scars from them more than a decade earlier and knew of their capabilities.
In 2013, I visited my cousins in Herat for two weeks after I graduated school. On the ride home, the bus I was riding in exploded because a bomb had been planted before we boarded. A lot of innocent people were killed. I was knocked unconscious and received injuries to my eyes, face, and upper lip. Every time I look in the mirror, I see those scars, and I am reminded of what terrorists do – they inflict terror.
I am looking at this photograph of us in the squadron room. I can recall the absolute dread I was feeling. My whole Air Force career was gone, and I knew we would be hunted. I knew our families, if found, would be killed.
It’s been hard since this photograph. While we survived, many more did not. Most of us are separated from our families who live in hiding and endure the terror of house-to-house searches. Friends and colleagues going missing all the time. They find them days later shot in the head or at the bottom of ponds with rocks tied around their bodies. 11 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
12 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
AwareNow Podcast
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Exclusive Interview with Lieutenant Colonel Momand
First Lieutenant Stanakzai & First Lieutenant Amiri
https://awarenow.us/podcast/the-beginning-of-the-end
TAP/SCAN TO LISTEN
1ST LT. STANAKZAI: (continued) There are no jobs; people are starving; girls can’t go to school, and the boys that do are blown up by bombs. The media doesn’t report this because the Taliban forbids media in Afghanistan so while the rest of the world watches the horrors in Ukraine, the fires in Afghanistan rage silently.
ALLIÉ: Thank you for sharing such a personal story. I can't imagine being in that room after the story you just shared about and the experience you had on that bus — going through what you went through, feeling that you were past that, all the work that you had done, the sacrifices you have made along the way to help make your country so much safer. And then this… Thank you for sharing.
LT. COL. MOMAND: On that day and in the moment of that picture, only one word describes my feeling. It was of feeling completely and overwhelmingly hopelessness – a black curtain. I couldn't believe that darkness defeated the light. It was incomprehensible to me how things had fallen apart so fast. I hope one day the Taliban are held accountable for what they have done to the Afghan people and the coalition forces who fought for a better Afghanistan.
1ST LT. STANAKZAI: Our goal was to serve our country and our people for the sake of humanity. That’s what we did on the ground and in the air. I will continue doing it to the end of my life. Most humans are beautiful people.
ALLIÉ: Thank you so much. To each of you, thank you for sharing as you have. Thank you for your service and all that you've done for so many. Is there anything else that any of you would like to share at this point? Russ, I believe we have you with us. Is there anything that you would like to add? Anything you would like to share?
RUSS: These guys, the A-29 pilots, they’re like family to my wife and me. We talk to them all the time. My wife is already planning a reunion next summer for the A-29 pilots and families. They're just a great group of guys. They’ve been through a lot. They’ve sacrificed more than most will ever understand. Our goal now is to get them up in the air — to get them careers in commercial aviation and get their families over here. These guys deserve everything in my opinion, and we're working really hard to make that happen. We have a unique insight as we are raising a fifteen-yearold boy from Afghanistan. All these A-29 pilots are surrogate uncles to this boy. We live a life without labels. There are no “Afghans.” There are no “Americans.” There are only humans trying to adjust to a new life. ∎
13 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
The Afghan pilots are highly skilled and experienced. They offer a perfect and cost-effective opportunity for the U.S. Aviation industry to help address that shortage. TOM PENTECOST
INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT FOR FLIGHT TRAINING AND OPERATIONS, CHIEF PILOT FOR DEL SOLO AVIATION 14 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
FEATURE STORY BY RUSS PRITCHARD
RETURNING TO THE SKY
UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION FORMS PROGRAM FOR AFGHAN PILOTS In October 2014, the 81st Afghan Air Force Squadron was established at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia to train Afghan Air Force (AAF) pilots to fly a close ground support turbo prop plane known as the A-29. The goal was to train 30 pilots and 90 maintainers by December 2018. Sierra Nevada was awarded the almost $43 million contract. In addition, each plane was slated to cost approximately $27 million - with a total cost approaching $750 million funded by U.S taxpayers. After a series of extensive selection and background check programs that selected the “best of the best”, training for AAF pilots began in February 2015, and the first A-29, piloted by an Afghan Air Force pilot, flew its first combat mission in April 2016. The roughly thirty pilots flew thousands of day and night missions over the next five years bombing and strafing Taliban drug facilities, attacking strongholds and supporting ground troops. The flight operations were so intense that the pilots went long periods without seeing families and did not celebrate the usual religious holidays to maintain intensity of sorties. The risks were high. The A-29 families had to move frequently to hide from the Taliban, and one of the pilots was seriously wounded and maimed by a car bomb. During the twenty-year war - noted as America’s longest war - it cost U.S. taxpayers $300 million per day to maintain a military presence in Afghanistan with a total cost exceeding $2 trillion.
As the U.S. presence in Afghanistan drew down in the summer of 2021, smart munitions, known as laser guided bombs, were on the wane, and most missions were flown with “dumb” bombs. The A-29 pilots consolidated squadrons in Mazar e Sharif and Kandahar over to Kabul, and on the evening of August 14, 2021, A-29 Captain Shamsi dropped the last bomb on a Taliban position. The next morning, August 15, 2021, President Ghani fled Afghanistan, the Taliban entered Kabul, the banks closed, the internet shut down, communication with command ceased, and the country collapsed. The A-29 pilots, as well as most of the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing, were told to fly their aircraft to neighboring countries to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Taliban. This meant leaving their families behind.
Over the ensuing summer and fall months of 2021, the A-29 pilots entered the Humanitarian City in the United Arab Emirates from end of August escapes from Afghanistan and quarantine facilities in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Beginning in September 2021 and continuing to the present day, the A-29 pilots have been coming to the United States and entering the refugee camps under Phase 1 and Phase 2 of refugee resettlement. Many spent months in refugee camps living in tents and sleeping on prison style bunks only to be sent to hotels where resettlement agencies struggled to find them housing. Frequently, the Afghan refugees were housed in lower end motels without money and far from food. It took months for social security numbers and working papers to be obtained. A good case manager took 6-8 weeks to get a pilot on welfare with food stamps, Medicaid, and local cash assistance which varied from county to county. Many volunteer organizations comprised of civilian and military volunteers stepped into the void to help Afghans mired in the U.S. welfare system.
One such organization, the Upperwood Foundation, founded by aviation and technology entrepreneurs Marcel and Barry Oberholzer, was already active inside Afghanistan with emergency medical responses and humanitarian aid drops. Upperwood, with an aviation passion at its center, decided to engage the needs of the Afghan pilots languishing in the United States. Working alongside Operation Sacred Promise, Upperwood sought to expand the opportunities and create a full-fledged ground school for pilots and who better to lead off the program than the A-29 pilots. 15 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Provide the path for a career, and these heroes can feed their families still stuck in Afghanistan. BARRY OBERHOLZER
UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION 16 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
“You can’t just ground these guys. They need to be back up the air – not on welfare.” “Think of Pete Mitchell, the fictional U.S. Navy pilot coming back to the screen this summer in the Top Gun sequel. The character is a beloved part of American movie history and culture. Now imagine in the sequel if we separated him from his family, moved him to another continent, and put him on welfare. Here you go hero – live on food stamps – see ya,” said Barry Oberholzer, author of Black Market Concierge, and co-founder of the Upperwood Foundation. “I’m a pilot. I get it. You can’t just ground these guys. They need to be back up the air – not on welfare. They have tremendous skills, and this country is desperate for pilots. Provide the path for a career, and these heroes can feed their families still stuck in Afghanistan.”
From this concept, many flight schools were called and visited. Many expressed that Afghan pilots would have to start all over again as brand-new students, even though they had trained in the U.S., and in many cases, had more hours and experience than the American flight school instructors. Several schools even stated that the thousands of hours flown by the pilots wouldn’t count towards training requirements. In addition, a large number of flight schools would not even return phone calls much less provide guidance or mentoring.
Persistence and a “never quite” attitude eventually led to two senior instructors; Tom Pentecost, Chief Pilot and Consultant at Del Sol Aviation, Albuquerque New Mexico, and Stan McDuffie, Assistance Chief Pilot for SunEx Aviation in Puerto Rico. Both are very experienced in transitioning American Military and international candidates to the U.S commercial aviation industry. A program was developed combining the process of military to civilian flying with requirements for international candidates to train in the US. The program is based on a highly successful Rotor to Plane program developed by Tom and Stan that treats each pilot as a unique set of skills, experience, and goals. Each candidate is interviewed, and flight documents are reviewed to ensure a candidate will successfully navigate both FAA Flight Certification requirements and Flight Company recruiting procedures.
“When I met two Afghan pilots one evening, I was surprised that Del Sol was the only one out of over 200 contacts that responded in a constructive manner to identify the challenge and work to develop a “Pathway” to U.S. Commercial Aviation,” said Tom Pentecost, Independent Consultant for Flight Training and Operations and also Chief Pilot for Del Solo Aviation. “The U.S. is experiencing a critical shortage of qualified pilots with many flights being cancelled for lack of crews. Stan and I have been transitioning military and international civilian pilots to the U.S. Commercial Aviation market for several years. The Afghan pilots are highly skilled and experienced. They offer a perfect and cost-effective opportunity for the U.S. Aviation industry to help address that shortage.”
“Our program applies the same development and training techniques we use for U.S. military and civilian pilots adjusted to the specific challenges presented by pilots who were forced to abruptly leave Afghanistan leaving family and records behind,” said Stan McDuffie, Assistant Chief of SunEx Aviation. "A specific piece to the program is to review all available documentation, assist in locating lost files, and translating U.S. Air Force and Afghan training/ mission records into FAA flight records. Our ground instruction and Del Sol’s flight training also place great emphasis on language and cultural issues that challenge any International candidate entering U.S. Commercial Aviation. These are no small issues for the Afghan candidates.”
The first class of ten A-29 pilots is well underway. There will be written tests, check out flights, and further specialized training if so desired. The second class will be larger, is on deck, and includes the remaining A-29 pilots and also fixed wing pilots from AC-208, C-208, PC-12, and C-130 backgrounds. Helicopter pilots are also in awaiting classes.
From hero Afghan Air Force pilots fighting terrorism from the air, to refugees on welfare in the United States, to ground school students becoming pilots again…It’s got all the elements of the classic American success story. Maybe someone should make a movie about it? ∎
17 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
On August 15th, the government collapsed to the Taliban. On this day, we lost every dream we ever had. MAJ. JAMSHID
AFGHAN A-29 MAINTAINER 18 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RUSS PRITCHARD
THE FORGOTTEN MAINTAINERS OF AFGHANISTAN TRAINED IN THE U.S. & ABANDONED IN AFGHANISTAN
The story of the Afghanistan A-29 Forgotten Maintainers is one of promises made but not kept. Brought to the United States to receive education and training on maintaining A-29 Afghan Air Force planes in October 2014, this group of Afghan men worked side by side with U.S. forces in Afghanistan to protect their country and the world from terror. In August 2021, when the Taliban took control of Kabul, most of the A-29 maintainers were left behind. What follows is a conversation recorded between Russ Pritchard and 3 of the forgotten maintainers still in Afghanistan and still in hiding. The Upperwood Foundation provides funding that feeds many of these families. RUSS: Gentlemen, thank you for joining us today. We all have almost daily communication with each other now. I call you guys the forgotten maintainers of Afghanistan. You've got some incredible stories and could one of you please share the history of the A-29 maintainers and how you came up to August 15th, 2021, please.
MAJ. JAMSHID: I'm Major Jamshid, the lead for A-29 Aircraft Maintainers who are left behind. First of all, I'd like to thank you for letting me share the real stories about these maintainers from where they started their training and where they ended up in crisis.
The first group of 14 maintainers, of which I was honored to be part of that group, started learning English language at DLI (Defense Language Institute), and graduated three months later. After graduating from DLI, we started training at IAAFA (Inter-American Air Force Academy). After graduating, we went through Moody Air Force Base for special training on A-29 aircraft. During training, we were honored to meet a constant parade of members of Congress and high-ranking U.S. military officers.
On October 11th, 2015, we successfully graduated as new aircraft maintainers. On October 12th, 2015, we returned to Afghanistan. On October 16th, 2016, we received four A-29 aircraft in Kabul, Afghanistan. The maintainers started working on those aircrafts alongside with SNC (Sierra Nevada Corporation). This is the company that was awarded the contract of A-29 aircraft back in the U.S. and also in Afghanistan.
Over a period of time, the number of aircraft increased to twenty-five and the number of maintainers to eighty-eight. Some of the maintainers left the job, and some of them settled in the U.S.A and didn’t return to Afghanistan. At last count, we had 66 active duty maintainers. In the months before the collapse of the government, these maintainers were able to do all the work without any assistance from SNC, like preparing the aircraft for missions, loading bombs, conducting inspections, and scheduling. Until August 14th, 2021, they worked nonstop day and night and were completing every mission received through our chain of command.
On August 15th, the government collapsed to the Taliban. On this day, we lost every dream we ever had. I still remember that day. We had a morning meeting as usual. No one was aware or prepared for what was coming. We got call from pilots around 11:30am to prepare birds (aircraft) for a mission. We heard rumors the Taliban had entered Kabul. Some of us were thinking whether to fight or hide.
19 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Now, left behind, we are in a bad situation in Afghanistan. MAJ. JAMSHID
AFGHAN A-29 MAINTAINER 20 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
“The Taliban are searching for those of us who worked with U.S. forces, especially the A-29 maintainers and pilots.” MAJ. JAMSHID: (continued) Later in the day, some of the pilots took off for Uzbekistan and Tajikistan with some of the maintainers, but sadly most of the maintainers did not evacuate. They remained on base hoping to get onboard the C-17s, but when 01 and 02 forces entered the airport, they kicked them out by beating and firing on the maintainers.
The next day on August 16th,2021, Colonel Jeffrey Hogan, the 81st Squadron Commander at Moody Air Force Base for our first group of maintainers, texted me on Messenger and told me I had to make a Messenger group or a WhatsApp group and collect all the maintenance information. They resulted in the evacuation of several of our maintainers. They rescued all the pilots. They escorted the pilots through the gates and into the airport, but not the maintainers. Now, left behind, we are in a bad situation in Afghanistan. The Taliban are searching for those of us who worked with U.S. forces, especially the A-29 maintainers and pilots.
RUSS: Thank you very much. I appreciate what you had to say. We have all heard the Taliban formed a special intelligence unit just to find pilots, maintainers, and specifically anyone related to the A-29 program. It's a very difficult time. I would appreciate if you could expand more on what's happened since you were left behind. What’s your life like now in Afghanistan?
MAJ. JAMSHID: We still have contacts with our advisors like Justin Baldivia and Russ Pritchard and. They, along with the Upperwood Foundation, are helping us to feed our family by sending food boxes. Russ and Upperwood have responded with medical care and even delivered babies for our families. However, we are stuck here in poverty and constant danger, and need evacuation. We live in fear and darkness. Some of our maintainers are stuck in the UAE. Some of them made it to the U.S. and are separated from their families.
SENIOR MASTER SGT. JAVED: I will try and expand more on what happened. On the day of the collapse, our U.S. Advisors were trying to help us get out, but as the news traveled around the world of the Taliban taking over Afghanistan, our Advisors started to receive messages from U.S. politicians and other members of the U.S. military asking for help in evacuating friends. It became chaos. They become busy with other people and not with A-29 guys. As a result, a lot of people got out, but very few of the A-29 maintainers. We were left behind. Our guys in Afghanistan don't have jobs anymore. They cannot go outside to work to feed their family. They're just hiding. The children cannot go to school. Mostly they beg for food. They're changing their home constantly and praying someone can help them escape from Afghanistan.
My story is a little different. I was at work on August 15th and connected with the US advisor. We told them we need help. He told us wait. The situation worsened. Our General told us, “Okay, let's get the aircraft, and let’s go.” Around 150 pilots and other crew members flew to Tajikistan.
We were there for three months. They took our cell phones, and we were not permitted to call our families. They did not know where we were, and most assumed we had died. It was a very difficult time. Eventually, the U.S. Embassy helped us to connect with our families, and we were moved from Tajikistan to the UAE. Slowly we are being moved to the United States. It is not a fast process. We have been in limbo for more than five months, and we don’t know what will happen to our families in Afghanistan. My daughter is in seventh grade. She's not allowed to go to school. My wife worked for a women’s empowerment program. She was helping other women. Now, she can’t even help herself. For eight months I have not been able to provide for my family. They have no income. They beg for food.
Mr. Russ is helping our families. He and Upperwood Foundation are sending food boxes to some families. He's helping a lot of Afghans. He's just alone. He and Upperwood cannot do this alone. 21 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
They left us behind. MASTER SGT. AHMADZAI AFGHAN A-29 MAINTAINER
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Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
“In six years, no mishaps happened security wise. With the U.S. Air Force Advisors and U.S. contract company (SNC), we worked flawlessly. No security issues happened in all the time we worked together.” RUSS: I think it's important for Americans to really clearly understand. You guys have already been to the United States. You had to go through an intensive background check to come over here, to be selected, to train at Moody. I have heard the A-29 pilots and maintainers referred to as the best of the best. Can you comment on that?
SENIOR MASTER SGT. JAVED: We were chosen, the first class that is, from 100 to 200 people — just one group of 15 students… In six years, no mishaps happened security wise. With the U.S. Air Force Advisors and U.S. contract company (SNC), we worked flawlessly. No security issues happened in all the time we worked together.
23 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
During training (in the U.S.) we were honored to meet a constant parade of members of Congress and high ranking U.S. military officers. MAJ. JAMSHID
AFGHAN A-29 MAINTAINER 24 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
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THE FORGOTTEN MAINTAINERS
Exclusive Interview by Russ Pritchard
https://awarenow.us/podcast/unbridled
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“How could you forget about us?” RUSS: Gentlemen, is there anything else you want the world to know?
MASTER SGT. AHMADZAI: I want to add something… We are very disappointed with the way they treated pilots and the way they treated maintainers on the 15th of August. They left us behind. Is there any difference in the blood color? Is there any difference in training in the United States? Is there any difference in our humanity? We have gone through the same thing, the same process, the same education department, the same bases. So, why are pilots and maintainers treated differently? Our humanity is the same. Our humanity is important.
Hear the full conversation below with never before seen photos from the forgotten maintainers of Afghanistan. MAJ. JAMSHID: I have two questions… What are the conditions for being resettled in the United States? Having a security background check that we all have? Knowing the English language? We all know English and understand the culture. We all have these qualifications. I don't know why they're not paying attention. I don’t know why they're not helping us. Also, I have a question for the SNC (Sierra Nevada Corporation). They had a billion dollar contract, and we worked together for more than five years. Tell me why my American brothers; tell me why you don’t answer our messages? We were like family. We brought you food from our homes. Why won’t you help us? How could you forget about us?
RUSS: The three men on this call right now… they continue to be leaders. They continue to lead by example. I am in multiple chat rooms with them, and they lead by throwing in humor at the most difficult times… leading with positive statements… listening and tolerating frustration from others. These three ‘forgotten maintainers’ are very special. ∎
25 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
There's nothing typical in a day for a confidential informant… BARRY OBERHOLZER
UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION 26 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BARRY OBERHOLZER & RUSS PRITCHARD
BARRY OBERHOLZER UNBRIDLED HUMANITARIAN AMPLIFYING THE ‘POWER OF ONE’
For years, Barry Oberholzer worked across the Middle East and behind the scenes as a confidential informant making connections, extracting valuable intelligence, and facing off against America's greatest enemy at every turn. The focus of this interview is not about Barry’s work as an informant. Rather, this is a conversation about his work as a philanthropist – an unbridled humanitarian saving people everyday with ‘the power of one’. ALLIÉ: When you were young, Barry, what did you want to be? And then, when you grew up, what did you become?
BARRY: When I was young, I wanted to become a professional rugby player, which it became for about seven years. After that I became an aviation consultant and a helicopter pilot. I always had a passion for aviation. Actually, when I was playing rugby, I represented the United States in rugby and was in Italy with the U.S. team for the World Cup. On our off day, we went to the Air Force base in Italy as invited guests of the commander of the Air Force base. We were allowed to have two passengers go up in a F16 trainer. I got selected. From there, my passion for aviation just never stopped. Immediately, once I was done with my rugby career, I knew that I was going into aviation.
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“I have that need to help people there, because I know what the Taliban does.” ALLIÉ: A typical day in the life of Barry as a confidential informant. When deep in this line of work, was there anything typical about any given day? What was the best and the worst part of your work?
BARRY: There's nothing typical in a day for a confidential informant, right? The main reason and the main goal for an informant is to ensure that you carry on intelligence to your handler at any given time. It's a lot of just dealing with people and gathering as much information as you can while they think you're working with them and on their side. But on the other end, you're just passing on the information.
In the beginning, it was very nice. I was young. I wasn't married. I became married later on in my career as an informant, and I didn't have any kids. So, you take on big risks, right? If I think back on what situations I've been in, in the past, it's definitely a “What were you thinking?!” scenario. Because so many things can go wrong. A ‘typical day’ with handling meetings with cartel leaders, working on moving their cargo internationally, setting up flights for them, dealing with the logistics of ‘not-normal-logistics’... Basically, anything that you can think of that's contraband, making sure they move from point A to point B successfully… but on the other hand, you're working with the authorities. So, there's planning in that as well. For example, we cannot seize the cargo just as soon as the aircraft lands, because then somebody will know there's a leak. We needed to plan for it to be seized in another country, seized a few days later, or they would deliver it to the warehouse. In that case, it would only be seized a month later if the warehouse was under surveillance. It's a threat platform where they see what’s the cargo, who's involved, what's the risk factor involved… It's a lot of planning and a lot of logistics. That's the typical day in the life of an informant, depending on where you are and what your expertise are. You get informants that are just financial with expertise. You get informants that are logistical, like I was. Then you get informants that are inside of the actual cartels, and they're actual members. I was just the logistics person, making sure that their stuff got delivered.
ALLIÉ: What an incredibly interesting job, Barry. What was the best part, and what was the worst part?
BARRY: I think the best part was probably the continuous adrenaline rush. That's probably why I don't have any more adrenal glands left. It is definitely an adrenaline rush when you are in those scenarios, and you are trying to do stuff that is just crazy, like crazy quantities of heroin or crazy quantities of cigarettes. Right. The good side of it is knowing that you're doing it for the greater good. These guys are shipping it, but I know it's going to be seized on the other side. It won't get into the hands of anybody that might die because of it. That's the good side of it.
The bad side of it is that just so many things go wrong all the time. You're not dealing with ‘normal’ individuals. You're dealing with people that have no worry about taking a life or threatening or anything like that. So, anytime when somebody knocks on the door, when you're in that environment, you're always on your toes. You always have to watch your back. There's the stress component of the adrenaline rush, plus the stress of the people you're involved with. It’s making sure that your cover doesn't get blown… That's a lot of it.
People ask, “Why did you do that?” They ask what my motivation was… Your motivation is that you can love your country, but you don't necessarily need to love your government. Right? I'm an American citizen. I love the U.S. I love the people of the U.S. I don't necessarily love the government, but I worked for the government and I supplied the information to the government so they can proceed with stopping stuff like that.
ALLIÉ: More than an informant, you are a husband, a father, an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. While you are one man, with many hats to wear, you wear them well with dedication and intention. When it comes to your work in philanthropy, you silently support so many. Few know of the funds you’ve provided to fuel programs that might not otherwise exist. Behind the scenes, the number of lives you save and sustain is incredible. Why is this work so important to you? 29 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Let’s get them back into commercial aviation. BARRY OBERHOLZER
UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION 30 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
“These Afghan Air Force pilots are in refugee camps. They are living off food stamps. Some are still in the same clothes that they were in when they were extracted out of Afghanistan.” BARRY: I think it comes from a few places. If you look at my history and what I've done, especially in Afghanistan, I've worked alongside many people in the military. I never served in the military, but I served next to a lot of people that served in Afghanistan. I know a lot of people on all levels in the U.S. military that I served there. I understand the training those people have gone through. For the United States, we've been there for 20 plus years. The American people inherently are not bad people. We're all good people. Everybody's got good intentions, right. Just leaving people like that… which you've fought for and next to… For me and my work, the heroin came from that region and those cartel leaders. It originated out of Afghanistan. So, I have that need to help people there, because I know what the Taliban does. When everybody left and everybody just came over the walls, somebody called me and said, “We know that you have access to logistics. Can I get my translator out of there? Can you help me?” That was a week before Afghanistan fell. We got to work, and eventually we got the guy out of there. But it was many days and many nights of countless hours of work to get people out there. But I think it's, again, for the greater good. It's just to help people. People just left people like that in the lurch, knowing what the Taliban is capable of and that those people are inherently not good people. It’s leaving good people in the hands of bad people. We have the capability of getting them out. Doing it through government resources is either not possible, or it's just taking a long time… for any government. It's not just the U.S. government. Using private resources and private funding, you're able to get people food. You're able to get babies delivered. You're able to get people out of there. And you're able to get people resituated in a country where they don't have to fear for their life.
ALLIÉ: Let’s talk about the Upperwood Foundation. Specifically, please share how your U Cadet Corps program is helping former Afghan Air Force pilots integrate into commercial aviation. Let’s bring Russ Pritchard who has been working with you into the conversation.
BARRY: My background is in aviation, and my brother's background is also in aviation. Twenty-two years ago, we started our first aviation company in South Africa. Russ and I met through all of the chaos in Afghanistan and through the groups that were set up online. It came to us… These Afghan Air Force pilots are in refugee camps. They are living off food stamps. Some are still in the same clothes that they were in when they were extracted out of Afghanistan. When you are a pilot, you have that DNA inside of you. You have a passion for helping people, and that's just who you are. Leaving those people in refugee camps who have the qualifications of getting a better job really hit hard on us. But it's not just from the pilot perspective, it's their families. They are able to provide for their families, but they don't have the resources. How do we get them flying again? That’s how the Upperwood Foundation started the U Cadet Corps. We asked where can we get these guys and how can we get them back up in the air?
Also, these guys must have been so demotivated going from being a Afghan Air Force pilot to living in a refugee camp in the country that they fought alongside with for 20 years. It must be the most demotivating factor that there is. We needed to get these guys motivated. We needed to give them some light at the end of the tunnel. That’s where Russ and I said, “Listen, let's identify the first group of guys. Let's get them back into commercial aviation.” And that's how we started the U Cadet Corps in the Upperwood Foundation. Russ, if you want to speak…
RUSS: In December, going into January, Barry came up with the idea of the U Cadet Corps with the focus to get pilots back up in the air. As an aviator himself, he clearly identified with how these guys must be feeling with their country fallen and with their wives and children left behind because they flew their planes to other countries so that they 31 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
We’re getting Afghan Air Force pilots back in the air through ground school with the necessary testing and accreditation they need to have in order to get into civil aviation. RUSS PRITCHARD U MEDICAL CORPS
32 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
RUSS: (continued) wouldn't fall into the hands of the Taliban. This meant sacrificing their families to languish in refugee camps for months on end, not knowing if their families were going to be there the next day, no ability to earn their keep, and no money to send back to feed their families through the winter. Barry got all that, and he gave us direction to form the U Cadet Corps that has four prongs to it – fixed wing school, rotary wing school, mechanic placement and administrative assistance.
We’re getting Afghan Air Force pilots back in the air through ground school with the necessary testing and accreditation they need to have in order to get into civil aviation. We’re doing this fixed wing and rotary wing pilots (i.e. helicopter pilots). It's amazing how many pilots we're starting to put through the process. And we're gaining momentum in terms of getting through the FAA and TSA. These fixed wing and rotary wing guys are going to be in commercial aviation careers, doing what they love and what they’ve been trained to do.
I'd like to point out that the United States spent $40 million just to train thirty-three A-29 pilots. What the heck are we doing? We trained them here in the United States. Now, we’re bringing these guys over here as refugees. We’re putting them on welfare. We’re making them into prison guards and night shift inventory clerks. They are Afghan Air Force pilots with thousands of hours and years of training in the United States.
So, we got our first fixed wing school going. We have the rotary wing school in process. And then we're working with the ‘aircraft maintainers’ or aircraft mechanics. They all trained here in the United States. There is a huge shortage of maintainers in the U.S. So, we're working with United Airlines to establish clear career paths for these mechanics. Again, these guys have Masters in aeronautical engineering, some have PhDs, and we got them out pumping gas and asking people if they want fries with that… I mean, they are highly trained individuals.
The United States brought over 80,000+ refugees under what they called ‘Phase One’. And no one was talking to them about reunification. Once they were here on U.S. soil, we apologized for being unable to bring their wives and children out with them but told them they could file for ‘reunification’. Well, no one's been doing that. And Barry was all over that from the beginning – providing these men with the administrative assistance they need to file with the Department of State to get their families put back together. Barry got it. He got it from his life experience. He got it from his aviation experience. It’s important to get the necessary paperwork and the filings done to get their families over here and reunited because many of these guys… Allié, they left their families on August 15th. They were told to get in their planes, to put in everything they possibly could (computers, hard drives, laptops, etc.) and to fly their planes to another country so the Taliban couldn’t get them… We promised them we were going to get their wives and children, and we never did. These guys flew to other countries. Some got thrown in jail in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Some eventually found their way to the UAE where they sat for months and months. Now, they're coming to the United States. We owe it to these guys to reunite their families. So, the Upperwood foundation provides that administrative assistance to get those applications and petitions done, to get those wives and children over here and make these families whole again. It’s like Barry said, we need to get them on the right career path, and get them back up in the air. Barry, would you like me to expand on the U Medical Corps and the Supply Corps as well?
BARRY: Yes. Please go ahead.
RUSS: I had formed the U Medical Corps and the U Supply Corps shortly before Barry and I met. It was very much of an underground movement and reactionary. It was a little out of focus. The Medical Corps was basically to respond to emergency medical calls, 24 hours a day through doctors in Afghanistan who were willing to treat Afghan patients who were either indigent or high security risks, all quiet under the table at no charge. The U Supply Corps was supplying humanitarian aid as winter approached. It was a huge fear. People needed food, they needed wood, they needed blankets, and they needed winter clothing.
I met Barry and I don't know how else to put it… I call Barry an ‘unbridled humanitarian’. It's a combination of Barry's life experiences and his acumen as an entrepreneur that allowed us to get very focused very quickly on those aspects. And we instituted our ‘Safe Delivery Program’ with a maternity hospital in Kabul, where we facilitate approximately 30 safe deliveries a week. I know that doesn't sound like much but Afghanistan, before the Taliban took over, had one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. Now data's not even available, but it's off
33 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
This aviation school is my passion project, because I just know what those pilots will feel like when they get back in the cockpit… BARRY OBERHOLZER
UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION 34 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
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UNBRIDLED
Exclusive Interview with Barry Oberholzer & Russ Pritchard
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RUSS: (continued) the charts. According to the OB docs I talked to in Afghanistan, the safe delivery program that the Upperwood Foundation funds provides the ability for women to come in and have prenatal care, safe deliveries and postpartum care without charge. Sadly, many Afghan women ceased prenatal care in August… August 15th to be exact last year when the country fell. So, it's been an amazing program. When you talk about Barry saving lives, I can tell you right now we're facilitating delivery of 30 babies a week in a safe environment, saving lives. As far as the U Supply Corps goes, I don't even know where to start… I am stunned that we actually got Barry to the table for this call today. As I've said, Barry is not a man to take bow. That said, few know about what Barry has put together as an ‘army of one’ that has expanded to the point where it feeds approximately 8,000 people every month.
ALLIÉ: The ‘power of one’ is powerful. One connection and one conversation can change lives. Russ and Barry, you have changed and saved lives. With one mission, to help allies left behind in Afghanistan, you have created an entire digital army working tirelessly together in a war that is unseen with battles unheard by the press and the public. What would you like people to know about the work you’ve done and continue to do?
RUSS: To support humanitarian efforts, the ‘power of one’ in this digital age has exploded. Barry has been a mentor to many in that regard. One person meets one person who meets another person who meets yet another person. Suddenly, you're finding a way to assist people with food. You're finding a way to drop off insulin at two o'clock in the morning to somebody in the middle of Kabul. You're finding a way to transport a woman with premature twins in the back of a food truck to a hospital. It’s all about the ‘power of one’… We’re not talking about special forces guys. We’re talking about soccer moms who are on the internet after the kids go to bed at night. We’re talking about so many from school teachers to retirees who get on the internet and become the ‘power of one’ and find a way to work together to save lives. That is the magnificence of a combination of private resources and the digital age.
BARRY: We do what we can. We push where we can. Russ and his team on the ground in Afghanistan have made a huge impact in these people's lives. We are the financial conduit to make it happen. And we're happy to do that. I'm very passionate about aviation. This aviation school is my passion project, because I just know what those pilots will feel like when they get back in the cockpit and be able to provide for their families. Right. Because when I go back in my life… everything has not been like moonlight and roses. It's been a journey. I know if you have a skill level and you can provide for your kids and your family… I know what that means for those guys. They have that skill level and to get them back in the cockpit… that will be my biggest accomplishment – getting those guys back in cockpits in commercial aviation and seeing them fly. Because we just left them there… We left them in refugee camps. We got them here and then they got disconnected. Right. So, the best day would be just to have those cadets back into a cockpit… We are doing small wins every day. There's still a big battle to fight in Afghanistan. There are a lot of people that need help, but I think just making small wins every day and helping the guys that are here and the kids that are here is where we start. We've got so many abandoned. There are so many minors… That's on another level, right? Unaccompanied minors sitting in refugee camps on military bases in the U.S. This is from people giving their kids away during the fall, getting them through the gate and putting them on planes to save them. That’s another part of the project we want to fund to get these unaccompanied minors placed. That's another big thing that we need to work on. So, as I say, the battles are still there. We are just making small wins every day. ∎ 35 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Every little victory… that carries you on to the next one. RUSS PRITCHARD U MEDICAL CORPS
36 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH RUSS PRITCHARD
DELIVERING HOPE
HEARING THE UNHEARD & HELPING THE UNSEEN IN AFGHANISTAN From delivering babies in Afghanistan to delivering supplies sent from the U.S., Russ Pritchard delivers hope to the people of Afghanistan. While he would say he’s just a glorified telephone operator, he’s so much more. He runs the U Medical Corps, bringing help and hope to those unseen and unheard. Much of what Russ does is funded by the Upperwood Foundation. ALLIÉ: You write, you run, and you save lives. How long have you been writing? How far have you been running? And how many lives have you saved in Afghanistan?
RUSS: I've been writing a long time. I first got published in 1983 when I was in college by a very enthusiastic and supportive British lit professor. Both my parents are history writers. My background is more corporate. My last real job was Chief Marketing Officer for an oral care company. Before that I was Director of Marketing for an international paper company. I've always written. I walked away from the corporate world about six years ago because it was just really boring. I was doing a lot of writing projects on the side all the time and decided I could just make a living as a content writer. All my clients are small to medium size businesses and nonprofits. And when COVID hit, it was the perfect job because I could work from home most of the time.
How far do I run? I do triathlons. I'm into Iron Man, but I'm also into obstacle course racing like Spartan and Bonefrog. Those have kind of taken a backseat for the last two years only because of COVID, but I'm looking forward to another competition coming up this July.
For how many lives I've saved, I don't really remember or keep track of that number. I think the memory is probably a little bit more... not to get morbid, but it's more along the lines of ones lost because... we just don't stop. It's a very unique lifestyle because we're living in two time zones. I'm Eastern Standard Time, and Afghanistan is nine and a half hours difference. So, I'm constantly straddling those. I can't tell you how many lives I've saved. I've been going at this since the first week of September, basically. And it's every single day, but I can certainly tell you some of the rougher ones we've lost.
ALLIÉ: Since the Taliban took control in Afghanistan, people there have been desperate for help. Here enters the U Medical Corps. Please tell us about the organization and your role.
RUSS: The U Medical Corps is not an entity. It's an underground movement. In college I was a flight medic. I'm a grandpa now. So there are some years in between. And when we started working to try and evacuate people, some medical emergencies cropped up, and I moved in a direction to solve those because it was kind of a natural thing for me. I was used to it from years ago. I have a daughter that's an emergency room nurse, as is her husband. So, I stepped up and solved some of those medical emergencies. We all are covering people in Afghanistan that we've met through the internet. And I had met a couple doctors. So, I reached out to one doctor one night and I said, "Hey, can you call this person there? They're like sick. And I know you're in hiding, and they're in hiding. And maybe if you each use fake names, we can work something out. This doctor and I at around 3:30 one morning came up with the idea of the U Medical Corps, which is basically connecting Afghan doctors in country to Afghan patients. 99.9% of our patients are in hiding. They pose a security risk. They are indigent because they've lost their jobs and they cannot work. So, I want to say, mid-September, we came up with the U Medical Corps, and we've grown to over 270 doctors now that assist and have relationships with six hospitals. 37 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
99% of our patients are in hiding. RUSS PRITCHARD U MEDICAL CORPS
38 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
RUSS: (continued) What do I do, you ask? I'm a glorified telephone operator. I connect people to doctors and hospitals. One of my passions is to help pregnant women in Afghanistan, because prenatal care ceased August 15th, when the country collapsed, and on August 30th, when the last plane flew out. If you were pregnant, you stopped prenatal care at that point. And we've experienced a lot of stillborns in the field. So, we came up with a Safe Delivery Program, and that is one of the essences of the U Medical Corps. We have a very strong relationship with the maternity hospital in Afghanistan that we're able to send patients to for prenatal care, safe deliveries and postpartum care. And we've done hundreds and hundreds of deliveries now that way. That's something I'm super proud of, but the U Medical Corps is nothing more than an underground movement operating like an American healthcare network. You come into our system, you're sick, and we triage you with an Afghan doctor on the ground. Either he helps you or he refers you on to a specialist. From there, we reach out to the hospitals if we need tests. We beg, and beg, and beg... We have no budget. We beg for everything, and we get it done. With the exception of the deliveries... We have a donor, a very private donor, who actually funds all that through the maternity hospital in Afghanistan.
ALLIÉ: Typical work hours don’t apply for you. I’ve been told you take calls 24 hours a day. I can’t imagine how difficult your work must be. The physical, mental and financial demands must seem impossible at times. What gives you the hope needed to make your work possible?
RUSS: Every little victory, every time someone sends you a picture of a baby that was just born, every time somebody recovers from a surgery... that carries you on to the next one. It's probably the best way of putting it. I mean, we take phone calls 24 hours a day. The phone never gets turned off. Again, we're straddling two time zones. So, there's no choice. You know, the only golden time we have, my wife and I joke about it, is between about 4:30 in the afternoon and about 9:00 in the evening when most of the people in Afghanistan are sleeping. That's when we kind of get catch up time. But babies... babies don't what hours to be born. Our record number is 15 babies delivered in one day.
ALLIÉ: Delivering medical care is not an easy task, especially when the Taliban is involved. Your quote: “We have had medical staff shot and killed by the Taliban while on medical calls. My number one emergency is pregnant mothers. Most ceased prenatal care in August. We had some really great wins and some devastating losses with moms delivering in the fields.” Can you share two stories with us? One of a great win and one of a devastating loss?
RUSS: Well, we've had one casualty that you alluded to. We had a doctor head out on a medical call for us. He took his young teenage cousin with him to carry medical supplies, and they hit a Taliban checkpoint. The Taliban asked them to basically produce identification. The teenager was a little too slow in lowering his satchel over his shoulder -the satchel of medical supplies. So, the Taliban shot him in the face and killed him. That’s our one and only casualty right now. Horrific, but if we look at the volume of calls that we've gone on and the number of times we've had doctors hidden in various types of trucks to make house calls to people in hiding, we've been very fortunate. I'll leave it at that.
Our best victory came Christmas night around 2 a.m. We had a situation blow up that we knew was going to blow up. What I mean by Christmas night is the Christmas Eve that ended at midnight, and it was now Christmas day. So, around 2 in the morning in the states, we had a set of twins that were born prematurely at another hospital. The family was initially supposed to go to the hospital where we have the relationship with, but the Taliban detained her when she was in labor. Her husband's here in the United States, and because she was not traveling with her husband, the Taliban pulled her and the other male out of the car. They separated and questioned them. They kept her to the point where she was ready to deliver within minutes. So, she had to go to another hospital, which was substandard where we did not have a relationship. Because she was indigent, they kicked her out. She delivered at around 33 or 34 weeks, which as you know is more than a month premature. They sent the babies home, and about 48 hours later, both started to crash. Knowing that we had had problems trying to get them through various Taliban checkpoints, during the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we arranged for a food truck to go pick up the mother, pick up the twins, and hide them in a very creative way. They made their way to this particular maternity hospital where they were put into the NICU for two weeks, and they survived. And they're here today because of not only the creativity of the doctors in Afghanistan that cared for her, but because the people that operated the food trucks that were willing to take the risk as well. I won't take any credit for that. I made phone calls, and I stayed on the phone. 39 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
…the Taliban detained her when she was in labor. RUSS PRITCHARD U MEDICAL CORPS
40 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
“…that’s something we're proud of. The hospital sent us videos of the twins going home, and that's been a blessing for us…” RUSS: (continued) That's it. So that's something we're proud of. The hospital sent us videos of the twins going home, and that's been a blessing for us, but again, that's just two babies out of literally hundreds. But that's one that was pretty special, because you like to think that on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, you're focusing on your own family and your own blessings. Instead, all of our attention was directed towards Afghanistan and in particular towards these twins… Allié, do you want to hear a bad story too?
ALLIÉ: Please share.
RUSS: We had a particularly bad situation the week after Thanksgiving, and we've had the same situation over and over again... but this one was particularly poignant and difficult. We had a couple expecting their first child. They were living in a bombed out basement. The mother was a television journalist. So, her face was highly visible. Her husband was in special forces. He was highly visible. They would not leave the bombed out basement shelter that they were living in. They felt that to be seen at any hospital would be basically execution for them. We got an OB/GYN to head out to their house. We had an OB/GYN from the states, also on the phone. Just happened to be a coincidence, but this person asked how they could help. I said, "Well, we'll connect you in." It was daytime here. It was nighttime there, and we listened in horror basically as they had a stillborn child. And we listened to the husband and the wife scream that the baby wasn't breathing. We heard the doctor trying to calm them in a combination of Dari and English so that we would understand what was going on. There wasn't electricity. They were using the lights of their cell phones. At first light for them, we all stayed on the phone together after being up most of the night, as they buried their stillborn child in a pile of rocks, a bunch of rubble outside the house. We all just stayed on the phone and rode it out together as a very strange family that had bonded during the night. I will tell you that story, that situation (no pun intended) gave birth to our Safe Delivery Program. When that happened, we realized we needed to form a relationship with a hospital in Afghanistan, where we could send pregnant mothers to, where they wouldn't have to worry about security, where they wouldn't have to give their names, where they could come in with no questions asked, no bill, no charge and have a safe delivery.
ALLIÉ: While the headlines have decreased, the need for help has increased. Russ, please help us understand what’s really going on in Afghanistan. What is needed? What’s at stake? People need to know what’s really happening.
RUSS: It's interesting when you say that to me, because when my wife and I are around friends, they don't understand how our lives have changed, because it's not in the media anymore with Afghanistan. They just don't comprehend. We have wonderful friends who, when we have had crises because we're very active with the resettlement side, they donate. While they give and they step right up, they just don't understand, but the math is relatively simple. 90% of Afghanistan is living in poverty. 22.8 million people face death by starvation and freezing temperatures this winter.
One of the things that we started with the U Medical Corps was an offshoot, which is now its own, not an entity, but movement. We call it the U Supply Corps. We feed over 8,000 people a month right now. Sounds like a lot, right? Sounds really impressive, because we're doing 800 food drops per month with the average family being 10. So, there's your 8,000, and it sounds impressive. But you know what? It's a joke. 22.8 million people in Afghanistan are facing starvation. We're doing 8,000 a month, and we can't keep up with the volume. It just not there. I don't understand why it's not more in the media right now. I am apolitical. This is not a Republican or a Democrat thing. 41 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
90% of Afghanistan is living in poverty… RUSS PRITCHARD U MEDICAL CORPS
42 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
AwareNow Podcast
DELIVERING HOPE
Exclusive Interview with Russ Pritchard
https://awarenow.us/podcast/delivering-hope
TAP/SCAN TO LISTEN
RUSS: (continued) It's just somehow it's fallen off the radar. I wake up every morning, whatever time the Afghans that are my friends, let me wake up, and I usually will have somewhere between 400 to 700 texts that take me hours to catch up on. The majority of them are from people asking for food. They're asking for food, they're asking for wood, they're asking for clothes... closed-toed shoes. With the U Supply Corps, we supply food, we supply wood, we supply coal, we supply clothing and blankets. We supply Charris which is something I didn’t even know existed, but it's basically the American version of a wood burning stove. The horror is so many Afghans thought in August that they would be evacuated before the winter so one of the first things they sold were their wood burning stoves, because they didn't think they'd be there for the winter and would have to heat their homes. They thought they'd be long gone. So, we actually go out and install these stoves all over the place now. We put in wood burning, coal burning stoves in the people's houses. The minutia is so important because if they don't have wood to burn, they burn plastic and that's toxic fumes. If the Charri isn't installed correctly and they burn coal, that's carbon monoxide and everybody in the house dies. So, we actually make sure that we have enough flu piping or venting going to the outside to make sure those fumes are carried out. So, I don't know how it's fallen off the media. I can tell you that one of the hospitals that I have a very strong relationship with told me 48 hours ago that on their pediatric ward, they lose between 16 and 22 kids a day -- toddlers, infants, children die from malnutrition. And those are the ones that managed to make it to the hospital and die in the hospital. I have a very strong relationship with the Afghan Embassy in Washington, DC. One of the things that has been expressed to me is there's no data being kept anymore. Taliban takes some guy out back and shoots him in the alley. There's no death record. If you worked for the Afghan military, there's no record of your existence anymore. I have been involved with numerous births in the field. So we know that those children that are born in the field, they don't have birth records. There's no birth certificate; they don't exist. It's horrifying. I think what horrifies me the most is what we don't see, what we don't hear about, and what we don't know, because those numbers are staggering.
ALLIÉ: I can't thank you enough, Russ. By sharing these stories, I hope we can all wake up to the reality of the situation. We need to see and believe… We must see what’s really happening and believe we can make a difference. Because we can. Let’s begin with being aware and take action by sharing your story and the stories of those you’ve shared. Let’s wake people up. Thank you, Russ, for making us all a little more aware now. ∎
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… I strive to be a disciple. CHAD ROBICHAUX
FOUNDER OF SAVE OUR ALLIES 44 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Save Our Allies
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RUSS PRITCHARD
SAVING AZIZ
INTERVIEW WITH CHAD ROBICHAUX During his eight special operation deployments to Afghanistan, Force Recon Marine Chad Robichaux and his friend and Afghan interpreter, Aziz, carried out over a hundred dangerous missions as team members on an elite JSOC (Join Special Operations Command). During those years, Chad was welcomed into Aziz's growing family, and the two men developed a brotherly bond as they stood against the Taliban's violent oppression. In 2021, fourteen years after Robichaux's final deployment, the United States military commenced operations to withdraw all forces ending its twenty-year occupation of Afghanistan. Immediately, Robichaux knew he had to save Aziz and his family. As he began to organize efforts, he realized a greater effort to help more of the Afghan people he had come to know and respect. We had the opportunity to catch up with Chad for a quick interview: RUSS: Today, we hear the words “Afghan” and “American” used a lot. They are identifying forms of speech. They are labels. Sometimes they are used correctly to identify a person’s country of origin, and sometimes they are used as verbal weapons to delineate people. Your relationship with Aziz transcended labels and showed that we are all human beings. In what ways, are you and Aziz similar? In what ways are you different?
CHAD: Aziz and I share many similarities and differences, as would anyone from opposite parts of the world. However, we are surprisingly more alike than one may think. Yes, we share different nationalities, cultures, doctrinal religions, and so forth, but we both are principled men who love people and life. We understand our roles as family men, and we both have a strong heart to serve others, which is how we met. Despite the known dangers of serving, Aziz and I both felt a moral obligation to stand firm and fight against an evil regime within Afghanistan who waged war on freedom and humanity.
RUSS: As a former Force Recon Marine, you received unique training with functioning as a team and the value of a team approach versus a rogue approach. As the final days of Afghanistan under President Ghani loomed near, it was your instinct to form a coalition of volunteer groups which coalesced to Save our Allies. This resulted in evacuating thousands upon thousands of Afghans to the United Arab Emirates – a tremendous success in anyone’s playbook. There were a lot of small volunteer “splinter groups” trying to save Afghans. Can you expand on how the coalition approach was more effective than individual efforts?
CHAD: In the months before the withdrawal, I knew it was sooner than we expected. Knowing this, and knowing what the Taliban would immediately do following, I knew something had to be done. I needed to save my friend and his family like he saved me so many times during our service. Coming from a team background, I knew having a small but knowledgeable group of special operators was the best chance we had at saving Aziz and his family. This all started in a selfish manner because I wanted to save Aziz. That was my initial thought and our mission. However, once on the ground and after we witnessed the terrible atrocities, we knew without hesitation that God had put us there for more than the Aziz family. So, having the team we did, we knew we had the capability to save thousands of lives. So, without question, we did.
RUSS: We hear the term “High Value Target” (HVT) being used in various circles. During the twenty year war, it applied to Taliban leaders and those who were a threat to the U.S. and NATO mission. Now that term has come full circle and is being applied to Afghans who supported the U.S. and NATO forces. Can you expand on what HVT means in 2022 and how real is the threat from persecution by the Taliban. 45 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
I was led down a path to restoration, which has allowed me to help others who may have walked in my very shoes. CHAD ROBICHAUX
FOUNDER OF SAVE OUR ALLIES 46 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Save Our Allies
CHAD: The Taliban are using the term just as we did and currently do within our military and intelligence circles. An HVT is a “High Value Target”, a very valuable person, that they want captured or possibly killed for their service to the American military while serving in Afghanistan.
The threat of persecution is absolutely real. It always has been. Soon after all American troops had left the country, the Taliban were going door-to-door looking for those who helped the Americans. Prior to leaving HKIA, the Taliban had established checkpoints around the airport and were hindering some individuals from passing.
If the international community continues to appease the Taliban as they seek to rule over Afghanistan, there will be massive human crises as they will essentially turn the 20 plus million women and girls into sex slaves and rule with an iron fist so to speak over the country. The international community cannot continue to appease them and recognize them as a legitimate government because they are barbarians. They will not form an inclusive government nor ease their aggressive tactics and it is naïve to think so.
RUSS: Interpreters like Aziz were offered a privilege of a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) by the United States government which granted them a path to citizenship in exchange for a year or more of service. The number of SIV applicants seems to differ in every publication, but the one common thread is there are tens of thousands of eligible SIV applicants waiting for a “ride” to the United States. Since many other Afghan military also worked shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. military, why are they not eligible for the SIV privilege?
CHAD: The whole process is flawed. We have brave patriots who put their lives, and the lives of their families, in danger to help the US build a more prosperous Afghanistan without the Taliban. They were promised a path to America for their brave service and expected the US to honor that promise.
I’ve tried helping Aziz through the SIV process that he was in for more than 6 years to no avail, despite his service in Afghanistan which saved the lives of many Americans, including mine, and helped the interests of the US. The process was promised to be 9 months for SIVs. We were lucky enough to get him out of Afghanistan.
While the ANA served alongside the US, they were enlisted to serve their country throughout the war. While that is honorable, and they fought against the Taliban, the Taliban are targeting those that directly helped America. I would even argue that the SIV applicants and the ANA members would prefer to stay in a safe Afghanistan, which we worked 20 years on before seamlessly handing it over to terrorist once more.
RUSS: By anyone’s definition, you are the ultimate “humanitarian.” You have saved countless lives – including your own - and have gone on to form the Mighty Oaks Foundation which is of huge benefit to active duty military and veterans communities. A lot of your message is faith based. Most people see the differences in the Muslim and Christian religions. There are far more similarities than there are differences. I am curious how your experience in Afghanistan may have influenced your faith to make you the success you are today helping others.
CHAD: The truth is, I was lost while in Afghanistan. It wasn’t until my return and struggles that I restored my faith thanks to my wife and a man named Steve Toth. My experiences in Afghanistan all contributed to my restoration because it was there that I endured many situations that would lead to my PTSd later on. Without those experiences, there is no telling where I would be today. But, because of those experiences I was led down a path to restoration, which has allowed me to help others who may have walked in my very shoes.
I am flattered you call me “the ultimate humanitarian,” but the truth is that isn’t me. Yes, I love to help people who need it but I'm not perfect either. I fall short, and that’s not a short joke, in many areas of life. However, I know perfection isn’t what is asked of us. Rather, we are asked to live a Godly life to fulfill the purpose He has for us. Therefore, I may do humanitarian work, but I strive to be a disciple.
After overcoming his personal battles with PTSD and nearly becoming a veteran suicide statistic, Chad founded the Mighty Oaks Foundation, a leading nonprofit that serves the active duty and military veteran communities with highly successful faith-based combat trauma and resiliency programs. Chad has become a go-to resource for faith-based solutions to PTSD, sharing his expertise with former presidential administrations, Congress, the VA, and the DoD. ∎ 47 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
I graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 2018. COL. AJMAL
U.S. ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE GRADUATE 48 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RUSS PRITCHARD & ALLIÉ MCGUIRE
HIGH RANKING IN HIDING
U.S. TRAINED AFGHAN MILITARY OFFICERS TRAPPED IN AFGHANISTAN As the Taliban closed in on Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, in mid-August 2021, the withdrawing American forces retreated to the Hamid Karzai International Airport - an indefensible position in the middle of a civilian population. For two weeks, American and NATO forces evacuated Afghans who were able to make it into the gates. Many of those who were able to get on planes happened to be in the right place at the right time. Others were able to get on planes as a result of coordinated efforts which prioritized categories of individuals such as social media influencers, musicians, and youth sports teams. Many were left behind worked side by side or shoulder to shoulder as the expression goes with American forces and now face persecution, torture, and death at the hands of the Taliban. One unique group is highly educated and trained Afghan military who trained extensively in the United States at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas. These are men who underwent an extreme security investigation and selection process to live and train on U.S. military bases, including the Pentagon, and travel freely through the United States. They were “vetted” so to speak and granted American visas. Today, we have two of these U.S. Army Command and General Staff College graduates on the phone from deep inside Afghanistan where they hide from the Taliban and cannot go outside for fear of being recognized. Many of their friends have been killed; many more have disappeared. Both have the rank of Colonel or higher. The Upperwood Foundation has supported these two men with humanitarian aid drops, winter clothing, and ongoing assistance with administrative efforts with their applications for refugee status. We have changed their names for their protection. Welcome Colonel Hamid and Colonel Ajmal. ALLIÉ: Let’s begin with this, gentlemen. How long has it been since you were last in the United States?
COL. AJMAL: I have been four times to the United States for various courses with the first being the Defense Language Institute at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas during 2008 and 2009. I have also been to Fort Lee in Virginia for Logistics Captain Careers Course in 2014, and I graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 2018.
ALLIÉ: How about you, Colonel Hamid?
COL. HAMID: My first training was also at the Defense Language Institute at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, and then on to the U.S. Army Quarter Master School, Fort Lee, Virginia for an Officer Leadership Course in 2008. My second training in the U.S. was a Combined Logistic Captain Career course in 2010. This was also at the U.S. Army Logistic University at Fort Lee, Virginia. My third training was at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 2012, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. My final time training in the U.S was in 2019 for a senior executive seminar under the name of “A New World Order… Challenges and Opportunities” held in Washington DC.
49 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
In the Pentagon, I felt honor and pride, and I felt trusted by the American people. I still have that feeling. COL. HAMID
U.S. ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE GRADUATE 50 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
“The day the Taliban took control of the government I left the office but didn’t go home. I knew the enemy would come to my house.” ALLIÉ: I hear both of you are honorary citizens of the city of Leavenworth, Kansas. So how did, how did this happen?
COL. AJMAL: I think that was according to the Command General Staff College plan. Each year they recognize international students. We received an invitation from the Governor of Kansas. We met with him, discussed our training and our families, and then we were presented with honorary citizenships.
COL. HAMID: Yes. You know, all foreign officers who are selected for this course must pass extensive exams and security checks. This is a high-level program, and the honorary citizenship was part of the course plan. We received honorary citizenship from the Governor of Kansas.
ALLIÉ: Is it true one of you has a State of Kansas driver’s license?
COL. HAMID: Yes. Foreign officers who are selected for this course are given the privilege to have their own car and apartment. For this reason, I obtained a state of Kansas driver’s license.
ALLIÉ: I have seen photographs of both of you at the Pentagon. That’s very impressive. How did that feel being at the Pentagon?
COL. AJMAL: The first time I visited the Pentagon, I was amazed by its construction, especially the angles. I appreciated the value of the leadership, the influence on society, and its effect on peace around the world.
COL. HAMID: I want to add something. For me, my first feeling was of the strong leadership of the United States. In the Pentagon, I felt honor and pride, and I felt trusted by the American people. I still have that feeling.
ALLIÉ: Let's switch gears for a moment, gentlemen. When the Taliban took over in 2021, the Americans stopped evacuating at the end of August, and you were left behind. Both of you have had friends killed and there are many more missing. How does this affect how you are living now? Are you moving frequently? Are you frightened for your family?
COL. AJMAL: We are witnessing the daily consequences of the people left behind. According to the New York Times, since the Taliban took over the government, 500 military officers have been killed, and many more have disappeared. The casualty number is much higher than that, and its continuing. Many reasons put my life at high risk including education in United States, my military career, and my positions. Unfortunately, relatives, friends, and neighbors know about my trips abroad to train in the United States. I worked as the Chief of the Security and Protection of National Security Council in the Brigadier General position. I also worked for years in Bagram military base jail with Taliban prisoners. I have been threatened by them. Some of them were from my province and my district. They know my name, my father’s name, and the village I am from. The Taliban wanted me to quit the job and called me a spy of the United States and coalitions forces. They said they will kill me. One time the car which we ride together was blown up with roadside bombs on the way from Kabul to Bagram base. Fortunately, the car was armored, and no one received serious injuries. Right before the collapse of the government, I had some guests at my home talking late into the night. I heard some voices in front of my house. I immediately went to the top of the roof and saw men with guns at my door. I changed my location and got appointment with USA defense attaché office.
The day the Taliban took control of the government I left the office but didn’t go home. I knew the enemy would come to my house. I called my wife and asked her to come with our children and stay by the airport. We stayed almost two weeks in this area hoping to escape the Taliban. We even rented a house, but we were unable to get through the 51 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
The Taliban are searching for us. If they find me, they will kill my whole family. COL. AJMAL
U.S. ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE GRADUATE 52 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
COL. AJMAL: (continued) gates to evacuate safely. On one of the last days before the Americans left for good, I received a call from my driver that Taliban asked him to take them to my office. He said when they entered my office, they collected my documents (diplomas, certificates, invitation letter which I received from my American friend, CV and my statement letter). They took photos of all. Two days later the military vehicles stopped at my door, I ran to the top of the roof of my neighbor’s house. My wife took a short video of the Taliban from the balcony. The next day we headed to a neighboring country border. We tried for three days but couldn’t cross the border. Sadly, we came back to Kabul. Now, we keep changing our location every few days. We remain hidden from our relatives and friends. The Taliban are searching for us. If the find me, they will kill my whole family.
ALLIÉ: The Special Immigrant Visa program offered by the United States does not apply to you. How does that make you feel? What choices do you have to try and escape the Taliban?
COL. HAMID: It's not a good feeling. We are facing very bad situation because of our loyalty to the United States. When the Taliban entered Kabul on 15 August 2021, I was in my office till 14:00 and upon learning of the collapse of the country, I went to our relative’s house near the airport. I left in such a hurry and all my documents and important papers were on my desk for anyone to see. The next day we tried to go to the airport to leave Afghanistan. The U.S. forces would not even look at my identification documents or my U.S. driver’s license. Three times I was beaten back by soldiers, and we were unable to enter. During the last two days of the American evacuation, we slept outside the airport hoping to be let in. We are trying every option to evacuate and rescue our family from danger. As my colleague Colonel Ajmal said we change our location many times. We move from one place to another place frequently.
ALLIÉ: Let's talk about the winter. This winter was particularly hard. I understand both of you received food and wood and one of you even received a wood burning stove from Russ and the Upperwood Foundation. That must have been hard to coordinate considering the security measures that had to be taken. How important were these food deliveries for you?
COL. HAMID: The winter the food was very helpful. It was very difficult for us you know. We left our house. We left everything, and we were moving all the time from one place to another place for security. We had nothing. We coordinated with Russ to receive food and wood at a safe location. It was very important to my family. Thanks to our friend Russ and his team from Upperwood.
COL. AJMAL: Since the collapse of the government, we have not received our salary, and we don’t have any other income. The food delivery from Russ and the Upperwood team was really helpful - especially the coal and wood. We had a very cold winter and that delivery made it easier to pass it. We are hiding and not able to go outside to work. We are selling jewelries for our living.
ALLIÉ: That really puts you in a position where you're not given any options to move forward.
COL. HAMID: Yes, you are right. There are no options. We are hiding to stay alive. As my colleague said, no work and no salary. We left our houses. We left everything behind. This is a very tough situation.
ALLIÉ: You have trained in the United States. You were cleared to go on military bases and travel anywhere you wish. What one thing do you wish the Americans to hear? What is the one thing they can do to help you?
COL. AJMAL: I wish to mention that before coming to the United States all those times for advanced training, I had to pass extensive background and security checks for both Afghanistan and the United States. I was rewarded with American visas and the privilege to enter and travel within the United States without restrictions. I came to the United States, completed my studies, and returned to my country. I could have stayed and asked for asylum at any time, but I did not. I abided by all the laws, and I honored my commitments. Now, I and my family are stuck in Afghanistan with no clear path to U.S. citizenship when so many others have been evacuated last summer without even a background check. We must somehow go to a third country to wait out a possible P1 case, but this requires passports. Passports are hard to get in Afghanistan, pose a great risk, and cost a lot of money.
COL. HAMID: I want to emphasize that we passed many security clearances before we went to U.S. for higher education. We fought shoulder to shoulder with our U.S. counterparts against terrorism for many years. We stood shoulder to shoulder and fought against terrorism here for equality, human rights and freedom. At the same time, we fought for the safety of U.S. people as well. The most important one thing that we want from our American friends is to be evacuated from Afghanistan, for the safety of our family. Even if it is not possible to be directly evacuated to U.S., evacuate us at least out from Afghanistan to a safe place so we can get back our freedom.
53 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
You took out our musicians, athletes, and social media influencers. When is it our turn? COL. HAMID
U.S. ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE GRADUATE 54 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
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HIGH RANKING IN HIDING
Exclusive Interview with Colonel Hamid & Colonel Ajmal
https://awarenow.us/podcast/high-ranking-in-hiding
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ALLIÉ: You need some way to get options because, again, you've been left with none. Russ, is there something you'd like to add?
RUSS: Both of these men and their families are in my thoughts daily. Sometimes we speak several times a day. Sometimes we'll go a week without speaking, but never, never do we stop looking for ways to get them out. The Christmas holidays were tough because we had Afghans here who are active in my life. They were able to be evacuated. I turned to the Colonels and asked them for cultural guidance. It's very frustrating. I am grateful for every Afghan who is in the United States, who has an opportunity for a better life and who is saved from the Taliban. But I do resent that so many are left behind like these two gentlemen, who you know clearly from this interview, speak perfect English. They are familiar with the United States and the cultural differences and the customs here. They have been here. They have trained here. They've gone through more in depth, security investigations than other Afghans who are already here. At one time they were cleared to go on U.S. military bases and even to the Pentagon. Yet, for whatever reason, they remain trapped in Afghanistan. I sincerely hope we look at the group of these gentlemen that these two represent - who went to the U.S. Army Command General Staff College in Kansas, who are honorary citizens of the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, who have driver's licenses for the United States, who had American visas at one time. We need to find a way to expedite a pathway to the United States for them, because they can say it much better than I can, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of their professional military colleagues are either dead or have disappeared and presumed dead. I'm grateful for the two of you gentlemen. You are like my family, and I hope we can find a solution. I try to look at this positively. I’ve shared this philosophy with you both. I try to look at this as a Thomas Alva Edison approach. Right now, we’ve found 10,000 ways how not to make a light bulb. We're still working on making that light bulb.
ALLIÉ: I can't thank you both enough for taking this time. Do you wish to share anything else today?
COL. AJMAL: Thank you for having us here and hearing our voices. I want to add a short comment. We have had great chances. We have been four times to the United States of America. We could have fled to another country or asked for asylum, but we didn’t. We honored our commitments. Our safety is at great risk every day. Our friends are being killed.
RUSS: I'd like to just throw in this paradox at the end of this interview. You know, Allié, when the Colonels were here in the United States, they could get in their car with their driver's license, and they could go to the grocery store and they could buy food - whatever food they needed. They could go to the grocery store at 6:00 AM when it opened, or they could go at 9 55 at night, five minutes before it closed. Didn't matter. They were free to jump in their car, go to the grocery store and get what they needed. Now, these same men, in hiding in Afghanistan, can't go outside. They can't get food. They haven't received salary. For over eight months, there's no ability to go to the grocery store. They must wait and pray that food gets sent to them. It's a really sad paradox.
COL. HAMID: I want to emphasize that many of the officers who have higher education and had important positions at the previous government are missing or have been killed. The Taliban restrict the media so you don’t see it. More than a thousand officers from Afghan national security forces are missing and presumed dead. Military officers who fought against terrorism are facing high threat and danger. You took out our musicians, athletes, and social media influencers. When is it our turn? ∎
55 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
I want the international community to know the story of the Khider District massacre… ABDULLAH
AFGHAN ALLY IN HIDING 56 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY ALLIÉ MCGUIRE & RUSS PRITCHARD
THE KHIDER DISTRICT MASSACRE THE UNTOLD STORY OF AUGUST 30, 2021
I'm here with Russ Pritchard, founder of the U Medical Corps and the U Supply Corps, who lives here in the United States. Joining us, we have Abdullah who is hiding in Herat, Afghanistan. While there are 6,600 miles between them, they have stayed connected with constant communication that began in September of last year after the Taliban took control upon the departure of U.S. and NATO forces. Almost every day, Russ and Abdullah speak about survival. Abdullah was previously involved in a U.S. Department of State project. He and his relatives are in constant danger now, as a promise of evacuation in exchange for information was not kept. Today, Russ and Abdullah join me to share the story behind the story. It's a story that's unknown until now. Our hope is that it is heard and never forgotten. Of note, the Upperwood Foundation provides food, wood, and clothing to Abdullah’s family. ALLIÉ: Let’s start with what was in the news on August 30th, 2021. We saw the last U.S. military flight leave Afghanistan. Everyone has seen that iconic photo as the plane left the tarmac at HKIA airport. What we did not see was the massacre that took place on the same day, at the same time, in the Khider District. Let's begin there. Abdullah would you like to start? What happened on that day?
ABDULLAH: On August 30, 2021, the Taliban executed a group of National Directorate Security officers in the Khider District of the Daykundi Province. They killed eleven of them and two civilians in the Spargag Village. A truce had been negotiated which granted immunity to the thirty-five NDS officers. The Taliban made them a promise not to kill them and to let them return to their families. Unfortunately, the Taliban broke their promise. Upon surrendering, the Taliban surrounded them, made them form a line, and started binding their hands. They were all Hazara which the Taliban hate, and many were married with children.
RUSS: I think it's important to mention that it was a truce negotiated by the local elders and local clergy, and the NDS officers had every reason to believe the promises would be honored if they surrendered their weapons and vehicles. They were assured immunity because when the elders and religious leaders make those kinds of promises they are supposed to be kept, right?
ABDULLAH: Yes. On that day, the village elders and the head of the clergy, or Mullah, guaranteed their safety if they came to the Spargag Village to surrender. When the NDS officers came to the village, they were told they would be surrendering to a Red Brigade unit of the Taliban. They are the most dangerous group in the Taliban. They are merciless and kill many women and children. They don’t care about human life. They just know killing and nothing else. When the NDS officers saw the Red Brigade unit approaching, they knew they were going to be executed so they ran in many different directions. The Taliban Red Brigade soldiers opened fire. This story was not reported by the news media. It was barely reported in Afghanistan. The Taliban won’t let news of their daily murders be told. Here and now, I wish the story of this massacre to be known. I want the international community to know the story of the Khider District massacre and what is happening to the people in Afghanistan who helped the United States. While it is very hard for me to talk about, I am here now in hiding talking to you from Afghanistan.
RUSS: One of the things I wish to convey is while eleven of the thirteen massacred were NDS officers, two civilians were also killed. There was chaos. The NDS surrendered thinking they would be granted immunity. When they realized they were going to be executed, the officers dispersed, running into the Spargag Village. The Taliban Red 57 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Every day and night, I hear the shooting. ABDULLAH
AFGHAN ALLY IN HIDING 58 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
“Every hour of every day, the Taliban kill innocent people, and it is not a crime. It’s genocide.” RUSS: (continued) Brigade unit fired indiscriminately into the crowd. One of the two civilians who was killed was a young teenage Hazara girl. She was hit by a rocket propelled grenade, an RPG, and blown to bits. There was nothing left of her to even bury. It's important to name some of the main Taliban commanders who were involved. There was Mullah Aminullah, Governor of the Daykundi Province, and also, Muhammad Ali Sedaqat, the Taliban General in Command of the Daykundi Province. The presence of the Red Brigade unit is indication there was never an intention of keeping the promise of surrender for immunity.
ABDULLAH: There were three hundred Taliban in the village when the thirty-five NDS officers arrived for the truce. Three hundred Taliban with fully equipped Red Brigade units to attack and kill innocent people. Just another broken promise in Afghanistan.
ALLIÉ: Wow. That's a story, one of many stories that has not been heard. I go back to the numbers of the dead at the Spargag village – thirteen. We heard about the thirteen Marines killed at the Abbey Gate. I think there were only a few days between the deaths of the thirteen Marines and the thirteen massacred in the Khider District. For those who don’t know, are things getting easier or worse for the people of Afghanistan because I think a lot of people think things are fine. Like, we are done with that and have moved on. Have we? Or is it just the beginning of something becoming more and more difficult to manage?
RUSS: I can answer that. It’s a humanitarian crisis. It’s a disaster that is only mitigated by hundreds of civilians around the world moved by conscience and loyalty to Afghans. It’s a response by people connected by the internet – a digital fight to save lives, feed the starving, and render medical care to a population abandoned by the rest of the world. It’s getting worse by the day, and accurate data is either not kept or suppressed. The heroes are the Afghans trying to survive, the digital army of volunteers who sacrifice their personal lives, and the private foundations like Upperwood who write the checks. In the last couple weeks, the Taliban have commenced what they call a “clearing operation” and they go house to house. They conduct surveillance with drones. They go into homes with canine units, and they search for weapons, military uniforms, any kind of evidence of a relationship of someone who worked with the United States or NATO forces. The consequences are severe. Doctors I communicate with say bodies come into the hospital and are placed in containers, not even sent to the cold temperatures of the morgue. They are shot in the head and labelled as “homeless.” Any events in Afghanistan are obviated by the news that's going on in Ukraine. Many of us feel that the Taliban have been able to hide behind that media veil, because everything is focused on Ukraine.
ABDULLAH: The people of Afghanistan believe the world is not aware of the reality that faces Afghans who supported the United States. Every hour of every day, the Taliban kill innocent people, and it is not a crime. It’s genocide. Killing is a habit Taliban enjoys. It’s been seven months that we are living in hiding every day. Every day and night, I hear the shooting. I know it is people being killed, but there is no one to broadcast this. None of us have rights as a human in Afghanistan if we are not Taliban. They especially target ethnic minorities. They see it as ‘cleansing’ Afghanistan, and the Taliban seize the opportunity to kill those they see as their enemies. Three of the massacred in the Khider District were my relatives. The Commander of the surrendering NDS unit was my relative. He survived and has left the country. The son of one of one of the deceased hides with us. We know the Taliban are looking for our family. They will kill us when they find us. They want no evidence to be told about the massacre.
ALLIÉ: Considering everything you have been through, considering the unkept promises and what you live with every day where is it that you find hope? What gives you hope each day?
ABDULLAH: I know some day it will be our turn to die if we remain in Afghanistan. The only source of hope I have, that my family has ever had, is Russ. He is always, always helping others. He never quits. He never sleeps. Russ is a hero to the people of Afghanistan. Many people in my country know him. He is a true hero. He, through the support of 59 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
We know the Taliban are looking for our family. They will kill us when they find us. ABDULLAH
AFGHAN ALLY IN HIDING 60 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
“Unkept promises. It’s a theme in Afghanistan.” ABDULLAH: (continued) the Upperwood Foundation, feeds people, gives medical care to the sick, delivers babies, and saves lives. if you want to know who keeps us alive with hope, it’s Russ.
RUSS: Thank you, brother. I’m always here.
ALLIÉ: Do you know what inspires me? In all of this horrid darkness, there is light from the relationship that you, Russ and Abdullah, have been able to sustain. There isn't another choice but to go forward. It is through one story at a time that we see things happen, and opportunities present themselves that maybe didn't exist before. It is our hope by sharing this story, your situation will be seen and will be heard. For the many others who are out there who go unseen and unheard, we know of the many unkept promises that need to be kept. We need to find ways to keep them.
RUSS: I think the biggest morale killer has been the unkept promises. In September 2021 my writing partner, Scott Chapman, noted author and U.S. Army Ranger, and I met Abdullah and learned of the Khider Massacre. We were introduced by a U.S. Government subject matter expert known as a GS 13 CENTCOM SME who had concerns the story of the Khider Massacre would never be told. At the time, I was editing Chapman’s manuscript of twenty-two deployments to Afghanistan over fifteen years, and we were writing stories of Afghans in peril for the volunteer group, Operation Freedom Birds. We were all asked by James Young, President of Operation Freedom Birds to put as much information together on the massacre as possible, which included numerous photographs, first-hand accounts, any and all corroborating evidence and images. Young promised Chapman and me a meeting with Condoleeza Rice in California and immediate testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Several weeks went by with Young, Chapman, Abdullah, Loren Bembry, and me working on an ever-growing Power Point presentation on the Khider District Massacre that was kept on a shared Google file at Freedom Birds. Young promised Abdullah’s family in hiding the first eleven seats on the very first plane out of Kabul and told them they would be testifying before Congress within thirty days. He assigned a woman named Tracy Cullo to communicate with Abdullah to get his information directly to the Department of State for emergency priority evacuation. It was a huge risk for Abdullah and all his family members to gather photographs and information because if found by the Taliban, they would most certainly be killed. Their motivation was knowing they would soon be out of Afghanistan, in the United States, and testifying before Congress. They wanted to tell the story to the world in which almost a quarter of the people massacred were their family members. It never happened. The Power Point presentation was completed and polished by James Young of Freedom Birds, and then nothing. There was no interview with Condoleeza Rice. There was no presentation before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. There was no presentation before Congress. Abdullah’s family of eleven is still in hiding because there was no plane with eleven seats on it. Hell, Young even filmed me at the Afghan Embassy in DC telling the story of the Khider Massacre, and when I refused to take a political stand against the Biden administration by stressing I was apolitical, the tape got buried, and no one has seen it since.
Unkept promises. It’s a theme in Afghanistan. So, Abdullah and I have had no choice. As brothers, a term of endearment in Afghanistan, we go day by day and keep fighting to keep his family alive and get out of Afghanistan. Sadly, the unkept promises continued because that same group, Operation Freedom Birds and James Young, would not contribute money when it came time to keep Abdullah’s family warm and fed during the winter. Fortunately, through the Upperwood Foundation and the foresight and generosity of Marcel and Barry Oberholzer, we were able to buy a wood burning stove and have it installed in the one room hiding place of Abdullah’s family. The Upperwood Foundation paid for food, clothing, and blankets. Barry Oberholzer checked with me weekly and made sure this family survived the winter. We're approaching summer now. We're still struggling day by day. They're still there. They're still in hiding.
ALLIÉ: It's truly unbelievable, and yet with such grace, you both are here sharing this story. I think this story will give others hope. Just the fact that you and your family are still here Abdullah to tell your story is a reason for hope. What else is it out there that you want and need people outside of Afghanistan to know and understand what is going on inside your country. 61 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
…every day our numbers lessen by those murdered from the day before. ABDULLAH
AFGHAN ALLY IN HIDING 62 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
ABDULLAH: I am not exactly sure how to put into words what we experience every day because this is something completely new to me. I am, or rather I was, an English teacher for the U.S. State Department. I should know words. For seven months, eleven of us have hidden one room waiting for death from the Taliban should they find us. There are children with us. We have lost everything. We have lost our freedom. We have lost our education. It is meaningless. At times we have lost our hope. The promises by Mr. Young of Freedom Birds turned out to be lies. There was never a plane. There was never an invitation from the U.S. Congress. I have my suspicions as to why he wanted all the information about the massacre. We took and still take all the risk. I’ve learned politicians are not to be trusted. Only Russ and the Upperwood Foundation have been there for us. They run the U Medical Corps and the U Supply Corps. Without them, we would have frozen or starved to death this past winter. They have fed so many. They have fed tens of thousands.
I want the world to know the power of an individual. I want the world to know the power of what one determined person can do when he resolves to never quit. I want our voices heard. I want the story of the Khider Massacre heard. I want the voices of Afghans heard. I want the world to hear the story of the killings that continue in Afghanistan, the brutality against those who supported the United States, the raping of women, the selling of children, the lack of food and medicine. Should I go on? I can. I want action. The world must help the victims of Afghanistan because every day our numbers lessen by those murdered from the day before.
RUSS: It should be noted that Abdullah and his family are very well educated.
ABDULLAH: Yes. I was in the last semester of my master’s program when the Taliban seized power. I have brothers and sisters who were in the University or getting ready to go to the University. All that is lost. My father is a well-known supporter of women’s rights. He is a published author on the subject. Now, women can no longer attend school, and my brothers cannot go outside. Their right to education; their hope for education has been stolen from them. We all lost hope. Russ keeps our hope alive. Sometimes it’s with food and wood. Sometimes we just need to hear his voice, see his text.
RUSS: Abdullah worked for a State Department sponsored project. He supported the United States. It's hard to comprehend that a year ago, part of his family were just a bunch of kids in college.
ABDULLAH: Yes, that was a lifetime ago. Our lives, and the lives for most in Afghanistan, are very different now. It is not in your news. No one knows what goes on in Afghanistan except for the people who live here and those around the world who live on the internet trying to help us. I know Russ communicates with people in England, Germany, Brazil, Australia, Canada, and many other countries to help Afghans. He wears a bracelet you know. It says “Never Quit.” He has promised me one when we meet. We already have so many memories in the seven months we have known each other. He keeps his promises.
RUSS: Abdullah and I talk almost every day. Sometimes we talk several times a day. One day I will always remember is the first time we were able to deliver food and wood to his family. It was early winter. His family had no source of heat, and food had run out. Morale was shot. I remember when Abdullah called as the supplies were unloaded. There was this connection I felt.
For a moment, even though 6,600 miles away, I felt as if I was there in the room with them. I can’t explain it, but I felt the heat as the fire was lit and the room warmed. I could smell the food cooking on the stove top.
ABDULLAH: Yes. That was a very happy day for my family. We were as one family with Russ and his family. I felt like Russ was here. It was as if he found a way to our house and came in to say hello. I remember that day even now. I always will.
ALLIÉ: That's beautiful. It's interesting how much you get when you give. Russ, for you to be able to give through your U Medical Corps and the U Supply Corps, and the school you have created for Afghan pilots in the United States, you receive support both financially and spiritually from Marcel and Barry Oberholzer and their Upperwood Foundation. There is a symbiosis transcending and emanating from all of you that should inspire others. It’s not just about food 63 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Save my family of eleven hiding in one room for seven months. ABDULLAH
AFGHAN ALLY IN HIDING 64 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
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AwareNow Podcast
UNKEPT PROMISES & UNYIELDING HOPE
Exclusive Interview with Russ Pritchard & Abdullah
https://awarenow.us/podcast/unkept-promises
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“The world needs to know what is happening to the people of Afghanistan.” ALLIÉ: (continued) and clothes; it’s about the connection you have been able to make with others; it’s about the lives you have touched and saved along the way.
ABDULLAH: Russ is a great source of hope for me and my family, Whatever he shares, I share with my family and all who I know. So many people know him in Afghanistan.
ALLIÉ: So, you keep going, keep talking, you keep finding ways to stay alive. I have so much respect for the both of you. Despite unkept promises, you show that there is this unyielding hope, this never quit attitude. It’s an example for all to follow who wish to make this planet a better place. It’s the power of one human who won’t quit no matter the obstacles. This has been quite a special conversation. Is there anything else that either of you would like to share?
RUSS: I’d like to state this interview is quite unique. You have an Afghan, hiding in Afghanistan, on the phone. You have the story of the Khider Massacre which no one in the States knows better than Scott Chapman and me. No one in Afghanistan knows the story of the Khider Massacre better than Abdullah. It’s a highly unusual opportunity for voices from two continents to be heard. It’s my honor and my privilege to work for the people of Afghanistan.
ABDULLAH: The world needs to know what is happening to the people of Afghanistan. Save my family of eleven hiding in one room for seven months; keep your promises; you can save Afghanistan if you want to.
ALLIÉ: It seems with all this sacrifice and devotion of service, there must be a solution.
RUSS: (laughing) That’s easy. Get me a really big airplane; one with a capacity for about 225,000. Abdullah’s family can be one of my neighbors.
ABDULLAH: Inshallah. I'm waiting for that. I'm waiting for the call that it is the time to pack up and leave the country. I will never lose hope, and like Russ, I will never quit.
ALLIÉ: What an exceptional bond the two of you have. This is an extraordinary story, one that needs to be read, told, and heard so people can become more aware. I second that motion for a really big plane. Russ knows plenty of Afghan pilots who would be willing to fly it. Thank you both for your time. Abdullah, thank you for calling in from Afghanistan. It is not lost on me that you are surrounded by ten other people in one room listening to our conversation. It is not lost on me that there are Taliban checkpoints all around you. Stay safe. ∎ 65 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
I can see my wife’s breath, I can see my own breath, but I cannot see my baby’s breath… BABY ABDUL’S FATHER
AFGHANISTAN NATIONAL ARMY SPECIAL FORCES 66 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
PERSONAL STORY BY RUSS PRITCHARD
BABY ABDUL’S STORY INFANT MORTALITY IN AFGHANISTAN
When Afghanistan collapsed to the Taliban in August 2021, pregnant women ceased prenatal care – many because they could no longer afford it, many because they could not go out in public without risk of being killed, and many because under Taliban law, women are property and medical care is not seen as important. A young couple, pregnant for the first time and in hiding in a bombed-out basement without heat or electricity, decided to have their baby on their own, because if seen in public, they would be executed. When the woman’s water broke and labor commenced, a female Afghan OB doctor came hidden in a truck to assist. They had only the light of two cell phones and the temperature was below freezing… Afghanistan in the 1970’s mirrored the styles and attitudes in the United States. Female lawmakers spoke out in Afghanistan’s Parliament; Journalists wrote freely of events around the country; Universities flourished with student life. Girls wore miniskirts. Tourists, enchanted by the beautiful scenery, gardens, bazaars, and cosmopolitan feel of Kabul, the capital, called it the “Paris of Central Asia.”
Present day Kabul looks nothing like the city of a half century ago. Estimated to have over 4.6 million residents prior to the fall of the Government to the Taliban this past August 2021, some estimate there are more than two hundred thousand people hiding in Kabul with relatives, friends, and in abandoned buildings. Taliban forces patrol the twentytwo districts and have checkpoints looking for journalists, teachers, and anyone who showed loyalty to the American Forces and the previous government. Once identified through facial recognition programs and biometrics, systems created and implemented by the United States, many are executed on the spot. Frequently the bodies are hung from cranes in public places. Previous men and women who served in the Afghan military are particularly at risk.
Essential emergency response programs such as fire, police, and emergency rescue cease to exist. Many diabetics can no longer afford insulin, or it poses too high a risk to try and buy it; many in renal failure can no longer afford dialysis or it poses too high a risk to go to a hospital; and many women ceased prenatal care when the country collapsed. Chronic medical conditions, left untreated, become acute over time.
The U Medical Corps, the dream of a writer/ex flight medic in the United States, and a Doctor of Internal Medicine in hiding in Afghanistan, emerged in September 2021 as an underground movement to connect Afghan patients in peril with in-country Afghan doctors and hospitals. It has grown to over 270 doctors in a variety of specialties and relationships with six hospitals.
In November 2021 several days after Thanksgiving, the U Medical Corps, supported by the Upperwood Foundation, received a request for assistance. Fair warning: the following content is disturbing…
A young couple, married barely a year, hides in the basement of a partially destroyed home. The windows have been blown out and the roof partially collapsed. At night, the temperatures drop into the thirties. The 28-year-old husband served with the Afghanistan National Army Special Forces, and his 26-year-old wife had worked as a journalist for one of the television stations. Afraid to be seen in public, the young couple never leave the basement in daylight, and rely on food and supplies provided by friends. A cell phone solar charger keeps their communication link intact.
67 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Shortly before the sun came up in Kabul, the young parents and doctor buried the baby just outside the house under a pile of rocks. RUSS PRITCHARD U MEDICAL CORPS
68 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
The young wife, pregnant for the first time, ceased her prenatal care at six months because she could no longer see her obstetrics doctor. For several weeks, friends brought her prenatal vitamins, but they became hard to find due to shortages and stopped all together mid-September. In October, two of the husband’s family members disappeared, and recent reports of female journalists and activists killed by the Taliban further cemented the decision of the young couple to remain in the basement and deliver the baby themselves.
The husband researched delivery methods on the internet for several days. He prepared with blankets from friends and medical supplies stolen from a local pharmacy. When his wife’s water broke and she started contractions, he felt ready.
Eighteen hours later, at 12:30am Kabul time, the husband called a friend to say the baby wasn’t coming, and he didn’t know what to do. The friend told them to go to the local government hospital, but the husband said if they encountered the Taliban, biometric scanning would reveal his identity and his wife’s face was easily recognizable from television. They would be killed. The friend called another friend who called another who called another. The fourth person into the link said he knew of an organization who might know someone who could help. Eventually, the sixth person in the chain reached the U Medical Corps.
Within an hour of the husband reaching out, a primary physician in Kabul called the husband and referred a female OB/GYN who followed up with both husband and wife. Afraid to go out in the dark, the U Medical Corps arranged for transport of the female doctor in a truck delivering supplies to a nearby community. Hiding under a metal frame obscured by hundreds of pounds of firewood, the female OB/GYN made it through three Taliban checkpoints undetected. Early evening in the States, the U Medical Corps also had an OB/GYN on standby in the U.S. Midwest, should the Afghan OB/GYN have to cease communication for security purposes.
Arriving at the partially destroyed home, an exchange of code words, first via text, then via phone, led the doctor to the young couple in hiding. The two doctors, one in Afghanistan and one in the United States discussed the delivery conditions and the mother’s status via an encrypted phone app. Without electricity, flashlights from two cell phones provided the only light. When the baby finally came several hours later, all the husband could convey through the screams was, “I can see my wife’s breath, I can see my own breath, but I cannot see my baby’s breath. I cannot see my baby’s breath.”
Despite the best efforts of the local OB/GYN and supportive input from the American physician, resuscitation was not effective. The baby was set aside on the hardened ground as the Doctor talked the father and mother through the delivery of her placenta.
Shortly before the sun came up in Kabul, the young parents and doctor buried the baby just outside the house under a pile of rocks. They named him Abdullah Yusuf.
The female Afghan doctor instructed the mother to wrap her milk laden breasts tightly with a cloth and to place cool compresses on them. She also said to take Ibuprofen. The female Afghan OB Doctor, transported from the location back in a food truck, wore a disguise and took photographs of a medicine in a local pharmacy known as Bromocryptine.
The U Medical Corps supported by the Upperwood Foundation arranged for medicine to be delivered to the basement entrance within hours. One will ease the inflammation, one will dry up the mother’s milk, but nothing will ease the pain. The husband’s last communication was “Tonight she is near to me. She cries a lot.”
“Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a baby, a child or a mother, and access to a hospital or health facility is beyond the reach of most. The country has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world and thousands of Afghan women die every year from pregnancy-related causes, a majority of which can be easily preventable.” (UNICEF)
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“The already concerning maternal and perinatal morbidity & mortality in Afghanistan is now escalating rapidly with no known data points. It’s primitive.” A prominent U.S. Board certified OB/GYN Physician with over twenty-five years’ experience delivering babies and Department Chair at her hospital offered up the following, “The already concerning maternal and perinatal morbidity & mortality in Afghanistan is now escalating rapidly with no known data points. It’s primitive. This is due to pregnant mothers no longer seeking prenatal care because of fear of the Taliban repercussions but also the lack of physicians & midwives to care for them in a clean safe hospital with necessary supplies. This is causing parents to choose home births due to the dire consequences of seeking obstetrical care. Babies and mothers are dying needlessly. The emotional impact from this will take a severe toll on these mothers and their families. I beg the World Health Organization to address this women’s health issue immediately to the Taliban. Afghanis MUST be free to not only seek care without fear but have adequate medical care available — especially emergency care.”
In December 2021, the U Medical Corps, supported solely by the Upperwood Foundation, instituted the “Safe Delivery Program” providing pre-natal care and exams, safe deliveries in a hospital setting, and postpartum care – all with no questions asked, no identification required, and no charge to the patient. To date, over six hundred babies have been born safely under the auspices of this program. ∎
70 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a baby, a child or a mother, and access to a hospital or health facility is beyond the reach of most. The country has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world and thousands of Afghan women die every year from pregnancyrelated causes, a majority of which can be easily preventable.
UNICEF
AFGHANISTAN 71 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
72 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RUSS PRITCHARD & ALLIÉ MCGUIRE
SCHOOL BOMBINGS
THE TALIBAN’S UNTOLD SLAUGHTER OF STUDENTS On Thursday, April 19th at 10:00am, first shift students were leaving to start their weekend and second shift students were arriving at the Abdul Rahim High School and the same was occurring at the Mumtaz Educational Center. Both schools are in Kabul, Afghanistan and are attended primarily by Hazara families who are an ethnic or tribal minority in Afghanistan. It’s a very busy time of day with a maximum number of students and parents and teachers moving around – just like mornings and afternoons at American schools. It is also the time that the Taliban, who are violent religious extremists hold the country hostage, chose to set off bombs outside the school to inflict the maximum number of casualties. Initial reports indicated as many as 500 students, teachers, parents, and local civilians were killed. However, news agencies are forbidden by the Taliban, and the internet is restricted. This story has not been reported and no one is AWARE – until now. Joining us today in is Reza Frahmand, Executive Manager of the Abdul Rahim Shahid High School and Hamid, who lives near the schools and is assisting us as an interpreter. ALLIÉ: Please tell us how many students attend these two schools.
REZA: Okay. In Abdul Rahim Shahid high school around 14,000 students are attending in three shifts, two shifts boys and the last shift is girls. And in Mumtaz Educational Center, around 5,000 students are studying.
ALLIÉ: So given the number of students and given the time of day this happened, it appears the Taliban were really just trying to kill as many people as possible. Yes?
HAMID: Yes. That is true.
ALLIÉ: It is my understanding that mostly high school students were killed. Since girls in Afghanistan are forbidden by the Taliban to attend school after the sixth grade, I am guessing most of the dead were young men, or young boys really. Is that correct?
REZA: Yes, that is correct. Most of them were boys because in the morning shifts boys attend to school. The first explosion occurred at 10:15, and the second explosion took place after five minutes of the first. So it was a time that mostly 12th grade students were leaving the school.
RUSS: They call that a double tap…
ALLIÉ: Joining us we also have Russ Pritchard, a volunteer and founder of the U Medical Corps and U Supply Corps. He is regarded as one of the civilian leaders assisting Afghans both in Afghanistan and resettling in the United States.
RUSS: When they set off the first bomb, they wait for the rescuers to come out to try to help the people - then a second bomb goes off. That’s a double tap. It’s a horrific form of terrorism.
HAMID: Yeah…. Five civilians were also killed among the students, because the bomb exploded outside of the school, not inside the school. 73 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
74 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
75 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
76 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
ALLIÉ: These are schools in Hazara neighborhoods. Most of the dead are Hazara?
REZA: Yes. That is accurate because most of the Hazara population live to the west of Kabul and attend schools there as well. These schools are in the middle of Hazara communities.
ALLIÉ: Why do the Taliban hate the Hazara so much?
REZA: I clearly cannot accept that the Taliban hates Hazara. I think it is the enemies of Afghanistan who cause hostilities among Afghan citizens and make Afghans to stand against each other. Afghanistan enemies always create problem among different ethics of Afghanistan.
ALLIÉ: Tell me about what was happening just before the blasts. What were the students doing? What was happening in the neighborhoods?
REZA: Before the explosion, everything was normal. We never thought that kind of bloody incident would happen. Until nine o'clock everything was okay. We didn't think about such kind of incident. It was just inconceivable to any of us that the Taliban would bomb children in school.
ALLIÉ: What was heard when the bombs went off? How did you react?
REZA: When we heard the first explosion, we froze in horror. Who would do such a thing? Then the screams started, and we rushed to save the other students in the school. We used emergency ladders and all exits to evacuate from the buildings. Our goal was to get the students outside as quickly as possible in the event the building was attacked.
ALLIÉ: We have seen horrific photographs of severed limbs and bodies of children blown apart? Was the magnitude of the casualties known right away?
REZA: When the bomb exploded, the students began shouting and crying. Many were running to find a safe place to hide themselves. Those of us who went outside knew right away that at least two or three hundred students had been killed. There were body parts everywhere. They were black and burned and no longer attached to a body.
RUSS: It must have been total chaos, and it must have taken some time to really ascertain how large of a human disaster this was.
REZA: Yes, exactly. We were totally shocked. We didn't know what to do because of the multiple explosions. Could more happen? There was no controlling all the students. They just started running in different directions to different places. I knew it would be days before we could account for everyone.
ALLIÉ: How does this terrorism change how parents feel about sending their children to school?
REZA: This kind of attack created a very bad picture on the mind of parents and their children. Many have stopped going to school or attending any kind of educational centers.
ALLIÉ: In Mazar e Sharif this past weekend, three bombs were found in the Khaleqdad Khan High School and the Istiqlal High school. Thankfully no children were hurt. Do you believe the Taliban will continue this genocide of the Hazara students and people?
REZA: I hope that this kind of terrorism never happens again. It is the government’s responsibility to provide security in the schools and educational centers.
ALLIÉ: Here's a more a more personal question. Are you Hazara? Can you share more about the ongoing genocide of the Hazara people? Let’s hear from both of you…
REZA: Yes, I am a Hazara, and I'm proud of being Hazara because Hazara is one of the native nations of Afghanistan. Hazara genocide is a violation against humanity.
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78 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
79 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
School bombings have become commonplace in Afghanistan.
The latest one was yesterday at the Star Learning Center in Mazar e Sharif. The death toll is still unkown. It’s a combination of genocide against the Hazara communities and terrorism against a generation of learning.
80 UPPERWOOD FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘THE WAR EDITION’ OF AWARENOW AFGHANISTAN
Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
AwareNow Podcast
SCHOOL BOMBINGS
Exclusive Interview with Reza Frahmand
Executive Manager of the Abdul Rahim Shahid High School
https://awarenow.us/podcast/hazara-holocaust
TAP/SCAN TO LISTEN
ALLIÉ: And what about yourself, Hamid?
HAMID: You know it is not something new. It has a long history and a long story, more than a century… It is more than century that Hazaras have been targeted. A century ago 62% of Hazara population were killed by Adurahman Khan a cruel king of Afghanistan directly by Taliban and all other insurgent groups. A century ago, many Hazara were forced to flee the country. Those who remained started living in hiding in the mountain and other places. So, it has a long story in history, but I want to share just the recent attacks on Hazaras that were committed by the Taliban and ISIS-KP specifically west of Kabul from 2017 up to now. Last year, a bomb exploded Sayeedul Shuhada high school, and two hundred girl students were killed. Another bomb exploded among Enlightenment Movement protesters killing eighty people. Another bomb exploded in Baqeral Alum mosque killing thirty-two people. Four were killed by a bomb at the Al Zahra Mosque. Bombs killed thirty-eight at the Imam Zaman mosque. Another bomb exploded in a Dashte Barchi mosque killing fifty-six. A bomb exploded last year in a hospital killing thrirty-three. A bomb exploded in Mawood educational center killing fifty people. See the common thread here… The bombs at the schools last week killed more than three hundred students, teachers, and civilians. It will be some time before we know the exact number. As the Executive Manager, a lot of that will become my responsibility.
This is genocide. As a Hazara, I want the international community to recognize it as genocide.
ALLIÉ: Thank you so much for sharing your story and your truth. Is there anything else in, in this conversation today that you would like people to be aware of?
HAMID: Finally, I would like to say this… We should work hard to share this bloody story to the world. We are not terrorists. We are not extremists. We are not radical. We are a modern people. We under direct attack from the Taliban. As a citizen of the world, I call on the international community and on the people of the world to stand with us to stop this genocide and pave a pathway for all the people to live like humans.
ALLIÉ: Thank you again so much for taking this time to, to share this story, to help all of us become a bit more aware now to help us see and hear what we've not yet before. Russ, anything else that you would like to say or to ask?
RUSS: I just appreciate Hamid coming on and arranging all this. I always respect the fact that we are reporting on stories that no one else is reporting on that no one else has access to. And I want to respect the risk that Hamid takes. He is in hiding. He is in Kabul, and he is making sure these stories get out. And I thank you for that, brother. I also want it known that the Upperwood Foundation is aware of the Hazara genocide and supports any and all efforts to make such known to the international community.
HAMID: Thank you very much for both of you to hear our voice and hear our painful story and thank you very much… You are… You are the Hazara’s voice. I appreciate your hardworking. ∎
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A COLLECTION OF UPPERWOOD WINS
BATTLES WON
VICTORIES ALONG THE WAY Since the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in August 2021, the Upperwood Foundation has…
600+
facilitated the “safe delivery” of more than six hundred children in Afghanistan
90+
aided more than ninety mothers receiving prenatal care through the “safe delivery” program
40+
facilitated the treatment of more than forty infants in neonatal intensive care units
2,000+
responded to more than two thousand requests for emergency medical assistance
40+
facilitated more than forty surgeries
100+
facilitated more than one hundred dialyzed patients
14
delivered medicine, including insulin, to fourteen provinces throughout Afghanistan
500+
delivered more than five hundred winter blankets
300+
delivered more than three hundred winter coats
10
delivered more than ten tons of firewood
6
delivered more than six tons of coal
12,000+
delivered food to feed more than twelve thousand people
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Photo Provided by Upperwood Foundation
Getting our allies back in the air.
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