Leave no interpreter behind: Column

When I deployed to Afghanistan with the U.S. Army, I never dreamed that during the worst ambush of my life, surrounded by fellow soldiers, I would be saved by my Afghan interpreter.

I'm alive today because Janis Shenwary had my back in a way I only thought another American soldier would, killing two Taliban after I had been flung into a ditch by an explosion. On that day in April 2008, Janis taught me the true price of loyalty and brotherhood forged through combat.

Yet this story of service and brotherhood is not unique. Over the last 15 years, thousands of Afghan and Iraqis have supported the U.S. military out of a belief that the American presence would help create a better life for their families and their countries. For their support, they have been threatened, forced into hiding and, in far too many cases, murdered.

U.S. military veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars, especially those who served on the front lines, understand that our interpreters likely saw more and worse combat than we did. As a result, we view our "terps" as full and equal U.S. combat veterans.

They wore our uniforms, ate our food, bled our blood, saved our lives and killed our enemies. When we left, they remained behind to join our replacements for yet another tour. And we told them we would give them all U.S. visas if, after at least a year's worth of faithful and honorable service, they found themselves under duress. The truth is, these translators have done more than many Americans to protect and defend our country. They have earned their place among us.

After saving my life, the Taliban retaliated by placing Janis on the top of its kill list, forcing him to seek a visa. After five years of struggle with the U.S. government, I was able to help Janis and his family move to Northern Virginia in 2013. Bipartisan interest and publicity around cases like his helped to open the floodgates at the State Department; today, thousands of interpreters are finally being provided with Special Immigrant Visas to build new lives in America.

Yet as Janis and I discovered in 2013, getting a visa is not enough. A visa doesn't save you from living in a hovel or begging on the street only months after arrival. Interpreters need help to settle in and adapt to life in the U.S. — help that the U.S. government and its non-profit partners are not currently able to adequately provide.

When Janis moved to the U.S., one of the U.S. government's charitable partners helped him find a modest apartment. He was provided with eight months of food stamps and medical coverage. It wasn't nearly enough. So I started a fundraising campaign and within days raised $35,000. When I went to hand him the check, Janis thought about accepting the funds for half a heartbeat and said, "Brother, I cannot take this money … can we use it to help resettle others?"

Through his generosity, we started No One Left Behind, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring we fulfill our nation's promise to not only bring our interpreters to America after their service, but to help them build new lives once they get here.

We provide interpreters and their families with three months of housing payments, furnished homes and a used car to help them get to and from work. We help them integrate into American society and find jobs by connecting them with American families who have volunteered to help these allies integrate. And, we support all U.S. veterans in their efforts to obtain visas for their interpreters.

Until Congress or government agencies step up to the plate and increase the U.S. commitment for resettlement needs, No One Left Behind is stepping in across the country. Keeping that promise is a matter of national security, with nothing less than the credibility and honor of the United States is at stake.

As a veteran, the prospect of abandoning our allies and breaking our promise disgusts me. How many times in the last century have we vowed "never again" after profound human suffering? American veterans of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are already losing touch, one-by-one, with interpreters who they may never hear from or see again.

Despite the war fatigue that many Americans feel after so many years of conflict, I have one request for the American people and for community leaders across the nation: put No One Left Behind out of business. We exist only because these Afghan and Iraqi interpreters — who U.S. servicemembers consider to be fellow veterans — are abandoned by the current resettlement system after arrival. Embrace them in your communities and you embrace a proud new American.

Our wartime interpreters have given so much to support the American cause. Now all they ask is a chance to live the American Dream, as our neighbors, our coworkers and our friends.

Matt Zeller is a former army captain who founded No One Left Behind in 2014 to support Afghan and Iraqi interpreters. He was the Democratic candidate for New York's 29th Congressional District in 2010.

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