“I wasn’t scared of dying, I was only scared of being captured alive.”

“Rock” is an Afghan interpreter who worked for US Special Forces from 2006 to 2012 in some of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan. Growing up, he had no love for the Taliban. Rock knew he wanted to fight the Taliban, and help the United States’ efforts to rebuild Afghanistan. Rock’s English language and interpretation skills enabled him to proudly fight alongside some of America’s most elite men and women while wearing an American uniform. Rock is just one of many Afghan interpreters who have been abandoned by the US government despite its promises to protect the interpreters who served with US forces.

Rock has countless stories of his own heroic deeds, yet he tells each story with humility – seemingly surprised that anyone would be interested in his experiences. He describes saving the life of Sergeant First Class Charles Martland in a firefight, on a joint operation by the Afghan National Army (ANA) and American Special Forces. They knew that they would need to dismount from their vehicles at a certain location due to the high risk of IEDs. As they went into this high risk area, they saw that Taliban had written a warning on a wall, “If you want to die, come this way.”

As the convoy continued, the road narrowed so much that not even a small SUV could turn around. The Taliban opened fire. As the vehicles stopped and both sides began to fire, the ANA and Special Forces realized that the Taliban had snipers. Rock says that the bullets “began to fall like rain, and this was the first time in my life that I felt my hair stand on end.” As the incoming fire intensified, Rock spotted a narrow ditch along the side of the road that could provide some cover. Rock and Martland reached the ditch just as a an RPG exploded; Rock pushed Martland into the ditch and covered him with his own body. “I could have died, but thank God, the only thing that happened to me is that I became dizzy,” Rock said.

The Taliban fighters continued shooting RPGs and mortars. Then, about 5 meters behind Rock, there was an enormous explosion. Rock looked back and saw that the second vehicle, an ANA Humvee, had hit an IED. Half of a human body fell in front of him – the body of the Humvee driver.

The team sergeant called to Rock to come beside him. Running low on ammo, Rock asked if he could go into the vehicle to reload, but the sergeant told him to stay dismounted. Not long after that moment, that vehicle exploded. Rock is thankful that he narrowly managed to survive that day.

Rock has risked his life, surviving firefights and helicopter crashes. (Rock says that the helicopter crashes were “not very serious.”) Because of his service, the Taliban threatened to send a suicide bomber to Rock’s home. Unlike most Afghans, Rock has two tattoos. The Taliban was so determined to find him that they used to stop people close to his age and check their bodies for Rock’s tattoos.

Rock’s sacrifices and the threats that he has endured are not limited to missions. While returning home from a remote province late at night with his mother, wife, and younger sister, Rock heard a voice screaming that he was an infidel. He was then stabbed by a member of the Taliban and carries a scar about six inches long across his torso, a permanent reminder of the attack and the following surgery that saved his life. At the time, he did not report the attack to his employers out of fear that he would lose his job and no longer be able to continue in his work against the Taliban.

Aside from the physical threats and the dangers of war, Rock experienced struggles that are familiar to any American who has deployed. Rock’s father died of cancer while he was out on a mission – but Rock said that the last thing his father ever told him was that he was proud of him for being his “soldier-son.” Rock took these words to heart. When his mother called him and asked him to come home to be with his father in his final moments, Rock told her, “No, my friends here need me. They are not safe without me here. I can’t abandon my mission.” Rock’s father passed away that same day.

“When my father died, I couldn’t cry, not even a single drop or tear, because all of the tears I had in my eyes I had already spent them for my American brothers and Afghan friends who had been killed fighting. We lost so many people.”

Rock was laid off from his position in 2012 due to the drawdown of combat forces in Afghanistan. At the moment, with US forces increasing their numbers in some areas of Afghanistan, Rock is searching for another combat interpreter position. Though he worries about what will happen to his wife and young daughter if he resumes fighting, Rock is ready to sign up again and face the risks again. However, the No One Left Behind team hopes that Rock won’t be in Afghanistan to have that opportunity.

Rock applied for a Special Immigrant Visa almost seven years ago; his case creation date with USCIS is August 12, 2009. He has no information on how long it will take for the embassy to finish processing his application. In the meantime, Rock is under constant threat for his service.

When asked about his goals in the USA, Rock says that he wants to formally enlist in the Army, and potentially join the ranks of United States Special Forces. Why is Rock still waiting?

Let’s ensure that Rock and his family are brought to safety by August 2016 – 7 years after he applied for his visa.

Sincerely,

Mica Varga, Director of Resettlement Operations
No One Left Behind
www.nooneleft.org