Wartime Allies

Munther, an Iraqi wartime ally, shares his story of service and survival. He had been issued a Special Immigration Visa and was on the plane to America when Trump signed the Muslim ban, immediately causing him and his family to be deported back to Iraq. Munther’s incredible journey begins with a childhood marred by war and finds him serving as an interpreter for US forces in Iraq. Most incredibly, he tells of his daring escape to safety in America (despite all the obstacles the Trump administration through at him) and offers his experiences of his first few months in America.

“Shareef,” an Afghan interpreter, served with US military special forces (to include SEAL Team 6) for 7 years. During that time, the Taliban murdered his mom and brother in an attempt to get him to quit working with Americans. Last week, the Taliban gunned down his father in front of his home. Now he is on the run, in hiding, and fleeing for his life.

Kim Staffieri (cofounder of the Association of Wartime Allies) returns and is joined by “Sayed” - an Afghan who served as an interpreter with the US Army for 11 years. Last week, he found out the US government denied him a Special Immigration Visa. As the Taliban surround Kabul and close in, he’s trapped.

Kristen Babicki (Air Force Veteran and Visa Advocate for the Association of Wartime Allies) and Miraj (an Afghan interpreter currently left behind in Afghanistan) join the podcast to share the plight of the “Blacklisted” - wartime allies who lost their jobs often due to absurd reasons and now find obtaining a life saving visa nearly impossible. Miraj shares what life in Afghanistan is currently like, the fear our wartime allies live with daily, and their hope we will evacuate them to Guam.

Kim Staffieri (cofounder of the Association of Wartime Allies) and “Abdul” join the podcast to tell the epic tale of Abdul’s service with US forces. As an engineer, he helped build power plants, water treatment facilities, military bases, and even helped remove roadside bombs implanted by enemy forces. He is currently in hiding in India where he hopes one day America will answer his pleas and issue the visa he’s more than earned.

Afghan war veterans Spencer Sullivan (US Army) and Abdulhaq (Interpreter) share their incredible friendship & journey to save Abdulhaq’s life. Matt and Janis discuss the latest updates in the movement to evacuate our Afghan wartime allies to Guam.

Afghan war veterans Matt Zeller (US Army) and his interpreter (Janis Shinwari) share the latest in the effort to evacuate Afghan wartime allies ahead of the US withdrawal. Janis shares why people choose to serve with American forces despite the considerable danger faced by them and their families. Matt and Janis also explore the Guam Option for rescuing our wartime allies. Finally, they discuss why Congress has chosen to embrace the Guam Option while the Biden administration is thus far AWOL.

US Army & Afghan war veterans Matt Zeller and Janis Shinwari are on a mission - save the thousands of wartime allies who served with US forces. This episode previews the entire podcast to come. Each week we will tell the stories of those who served shoulder to shoulder together for the duration of the wars. Our hope is that these stories help galvanize an evacuation of our wartime allies to safety.