Welcome to Episode 26 of The Afghanistan Project Podcast, where hosts Mikael Cook and Beth Bailey highlight the struggles of Afghans living under Taliban rule, and the efforts of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and political affiliations who have stepped up to provide support to the people of Afghanistan in the chaos that followed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

For the latest installment of our withdrawal series, we talked with Joe Laude, who was a Marine Corps Sgt. in the 2nd Battalion 1st Marine Regiment during the evacuation from Hamid Karzai International Airport. Joe talked with us about his own recollections from the evacuation, as well as those of many of the other veterans of HKIA whom he has been able to speak with about their own efforts because of his work to stand up Operation Allies Refuge Foundation. OAR Foundation seeks to spread the truth about the events at HKIA as those on the ground experienced them, and to combat the moral injury that affects veterans who were present during the withdrawal.

More about Operation Allies Refuge Foundation:

Follow OAR on Instagram @OARFoundation or on their website, here.

About the hosts:

Mikael Cook was an Army non-commissioned officer and veteran of the war in Afghanistan. He was an active member of the #DigitalDunkirk movement to evacuate our Afghan allies in August of 2021. You can follow his Instagram @Mikaelcook89.

Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow her on Instagram @BWBailey85 or Twitter @BWBailey85.

For listeners in Afghanistan:

If you would like to have your story considered for a future episode, please send us a letter about your experiences to our show e-mail address, [email protected]. Please include as much detail as possible, and let us know if you would like us to give you a pseudonym to protect your identity.