When we say “thanks,” we offer an expression of our gratitude.
The following can best be described as my humble expression on
behalf of a friend who served our country — who has dedicated
himself to an important cause, and one that conveys his own sense
of duty and grateful appreciation.
My friend, Joe Coon, an Iraq war veteran who lives and works in
Washington D.C., recently wrote an
opinion piece regarding a very important matter: the visa
status of Iraqi interpreters employed by the U.S. military during
the war effort.
This is a matter largely overlooked by the public, confounded by
politicians and staggered by byzantine procedure.
Joe served in Iraq for all of 2005, stationed some 40 miles
north of Baghdad near a town called Balad. If you recall, this
period represented a major turning point in the post-invasion
storyline. All hopes for a peaceful transition to democracy and a
speedy U.S. withdrawal were shattered in May, the bloodiest month
since the initial invasion, as Sunni Arab insurgents tore through
the country. Iraq appeared to be hurtling towards disintegration.
However, turmoil was tempered by promising news: the new
constitution was ratified and elections for the new Iraqi National
Assembly were held. Purple fingers were emblematic of hopeful
hearts. These gains were due in no small part to the efforts U.S.
servicemen and women — and brave Iraqis who supported our troops
and their nascent democracy.
Thankfully, Joe returned safely from his deployment. However, he
left behind a close friend and critical partner — an Iraqi
national who served the U.S. army as an interpreter, by the name of
Bandar. Ultimately, Bandar’s problematic immigration through the
special immigrant visa program (SIV) inspired Joe to speak out on
behalf of those interpreters who were promised sanctuary in
America. Many have been robbed of safe haven by ham-fisted
political processes. They remain prime targets of the insurgency.
Hundreds, if not thousands have already been killed. It’s anybody’s
guess what will happen to those that remain after the U.S. leaves
for good.
The SIV system was nearly brought to a halt by the Obama
administration back in June, when two amateurish Kentucky-based
“jihadis”
stumbled into an FBI snare. However, neither man entered the
country through the SIV program nor worked for the US
government.
This leaves a lot of good Iraqis, who risked their lives to
assist our troops, twisting in the wind.
In Joe’s words:
“Whether you supported the Iraq war or not, we have a
responsibility to those who aided US efforts, often at great risk
to themselves. If Congress and the Obama administration have any
honor at all, they will fix the Special Immigrant Visa system and
save the lives of Iraqi interpreters. Time is running
out.”
Joe renewed his efforts to help those who helped him when
President Obama announced that the troops would leave Iraq by
Christmas. Since that time, he’s been doing his best to increase
awareness and encourage others to notify the representatives about
an immigration process that is “inflexible, time consuming, and
cruel.”
On this thanksgiving, I’d ask that you do the same.
Please read Joe’s
opinion piece. He’s infinitely more qualified to discuss the
matter than I am. If you want to learn more, two organizations that
do good work for faithful Iraqi asylum seekers are the Checkpoint One Foundation and the
Iraqi Refugee Assistance
Project. Joe has also started a Facebook page “Stop
the Killing of Iraqi Interpreters” to help get the word
out.
Just my way of saying “thanks” to a friend who served.
