Ahmadullah Got His Green Card!
Ahmadullah Got His Green Card!
Plus, A.B. Stoddard
Howdy,
How about some good news?
My last combat interpreter, Ahmadullah, got his green card today! Woohoo! For those who don’t remember, Ahmadullah, here is the short synopsis via
’s excellent Tri-Ad:In August of last year I wrote about my friend
, who had spent big chunks of the last two decades serving in Afghanistan. Following the American withdrawal, Will was trying to get one of his former interpreters out before the Taliban murdered him. A project like this costs a lot of money. I asked you to help Will if you could and within a couple of hours—hours—he had enough money to exfiltrate his comrade.
This weekend, Will’s interpreter, Ahmadullah, arrived in America with his family. It was this community—you guys, right here—who made this miracle possible.
For those who want to dig deeper, here is the original post from when he arrived at the airport in April.
The best thing I did with my career was make sure these promises were upheld.
This victory belongs to Ahmadullah and his family and my teammates, Kate R, Hope, & Seth, who decided to give a fuck when nobody would’ve questioned them if they had decided to pass.
Uphold the promise.
No One Left Behind.
Until Next Time.
Today, we celebrate another amazing chapter in Ahmadullah’s miraculous journey (don’t worry; he’s coming on the show soon). Inshallah, he and his beautiful family will be American citizens in less than five years.
Ahmadullah made it here because thousands of people like you donated to help The Bulwark fund some operations. We still conduct such activities but are not nearly as hands-on as we used to be.
Now, however, we focus on elevating the voices of the actual victims of America’s War in Afghanistan: the Afghans. This has been a hard month for everyone involved in Afghanistan. It’s easy to get discouraged. It’s ok for it to hurt still.
However, moments like this rejuvenate me, propel me forward, and remind me not to lose hope!
All of us at GCV+F, including the 4 Afghan refugees who work on staff (Zar, Shir Zad, Sayeeda, and Sultan), are honored to help elevate the often neglected victims of America’s lost wars.
Even though we’re a free publication (for now), we happily accept paid subscriptions. For $30 a year, you help grow our brand and provide part-time opportunities for Afghan refugees working to make it to the United States.
We’re more than just a family. Zmoong Andiwalaan. My People.
If you have some spare change kicking around, you can also become a founding member for $250. We’re going to start hosting (virtually) some events for our founding members. You’re an enormous reason why we’re such a successful veteran-owned start-up.
And if you’re a balla on a budget. No worries. I hear ya! Just become a subscriber and forward a few of our products to your friends—hell, even to your enemies, I don’t care!
We’re grateful to all of you! And congrats to Ahmadullah and his beautiful family.
Shoulder to Shoulder
Please do me a favor: check out our latest episode of Shoulder with Joanna Naples-Mitchell. Hopefully, you’ve noticed an uptick in sound quality because we have hired a great editor. Unfortunately, I still have to produce, so if it looks like I’m surfing the web, I’m actually messing with the sound.
This was one of our best episodes. Do yourself a solid and give it a listen.
A.B. Stoddard
is one of my all-time favorite writers. I’m also lucky enough to call her one of my mentors. She has a fantastic piece about the upcoming election. The campaign is in the final stretch. The first ballots will be cast weeks from now. There may not be a ceasefire or hostage deal coming. Campus protests will almost certainly resume soon, and any focus on foreign crises that call into question the Biden administration’s policies, or Harris’s role in them, could be divisive in her party and problematic with swing voters.
Worry we must.
Remember: No Daily Rant tomorrow.
Great news! Interesting because I remember that from The Bulwark. For sure, when Will launched his Substack, I was like, ”That’s the dude who helped get Ahmadullah out.” Or I think that's what happened.
Congratulations to your friend and his family for getting to live the American dream after helping us for so many years in Afghanistan. Only four or so years to become a citizen? That's great.
As for the election, we Harris supporters have to act and work like it's tied 50-50 and only our personal efforts to turn out the vote will make the difference. We need to get every non-Trumper to the polls, and persuade reasonable Trump voters that they can say publicly they voted for the man as long as they do the honorable thing in the privacy of the voting booth.