In this episode of Combat Story, we sit down with Azad, known overseas as "Mike," whose life represents one of the most extraordinary and unlikely journeys to come out of the post-9/11 wars.

Born Kurdish in Baghdad, Azad was still a child when the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq began. His first exposure to Americans didn't come from movies, television, or Western culture — it came from U.S. soldiers operating in his hometown, at a time when alliances were fragile and the cost of being seen as a collaborator could be fatal.

Driven by curiosity, survival, and a desire to understand the forces shaping his country, Azad taught himself English one word at a time. That determination led him to become a U.S. military interpreter, where he served shoulder-to-shoulder with some of America's most elite combat units, including the 101st Airborne Division, 82nd Airborne Division, Marine Special Operations, and multiple Navy SEAL teams — often in the most dangerous and remote areas of Iraq.

His service earned him a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), a rare pathway granted to foreign nationals who risked their lives in support of U.S. forces. But Azad's journey didn't stop there.

After arriving in the United States, Azad did something almost unheard of: he raised his right hand again, this time to enlist as a U.S. Marine, transitioning from interpreter to infantryman and formally joining the ranks to continue to defend the country he had already sacrificed so much for.

Today, Azad continues to serve beyond the battlefield. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, is currently pursuing a master's degree in cybersecurity at the University of San Diego, and works with the nonprofit No One Left Behind, advocating for interpreters and wartime allies who stood with U.S. forces and now seek safety, recognition, and support.

This conversation explores war, loyalty, identity, immigration, service, and sacrifice, and asks a deeper question: What does it mean to belong to a nation you were willing to die for long before you were allowed to call it home?

To learn more about No One Left Behind visit https://www.nooneleft.org/

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