Shana ba Shana
When America chose to withdraw from Afghanistan in August 2021 and end our country’s longest war, our heroic allies in the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing flew, under the direction of their American military advisors, flew their aircraft to the neighboring countries of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to prevent these weapons from being captured by the Taliban. They lost their homes, careers, pensions, and all their possessions.
After several months in detention camps, approximately six hundred Afghan aviation personnel arrived in the U.S. with only the clothes on their backs.
Most have been separated from their wives and children for more than two years, left trapped behind in Afghanistan. The families are persecuted by the Taliban and live in a third world economy where the United Nations estimates 94% of homes face food shortages.
The Afghan American Development Group came together to help these former allies start a life in the United States, assist with mountains of asylum paperwork, and pursue pathways for family reunification. In the process, we learned we can stand shoulder to shoulder (Shana ba Shana) in peace. Their gratitude for the smallest contribution, even time spent listening on a call, speaks volumes about their character.
The men and women of the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing who came to the United States as part of Operation Allies Welcome in 2021-2022 represent a unique and valuable resource to commercial aviation, where pilot and maintainer shortages are projected to continue into the next decade.
They bring additional diversity to a country known as the “melting pot” – a metaphor for a society where many people blend as one.
We want our efforts to reach any organization or individual willing to make a meaningful impact on the lives of these refugees. We seek to provide job training commensurate with their previous careers and help them reconnect with family and loved ones left behind. We look forward to partnering with you and introducing our valued allies and friends along the way.
Russ Pritchard, CEO
Mission: A New Hope
We are taking a tactical approach to helping former Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing personnel adjust to life in America. This requires a multi-step approach to overcoming mountains of paperwork, reunification with loved ones left behind, transitioning from military to civilian careers, and finding the right job.We are about creating hope, focusing efforts, and helping new Afghan refugees succeed.
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Resettlement Efforts
We assist with navigating the myriad of agencies, charities, and various administrative tasks one must do to settle and move forward in America. This ranges from understanding a lease, obtaining medical insurance, evaluating transportation options, filing for asylum, creating a resume.. and many, many things in between.
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Family Reunification
In a heroic attempt to prevent aircraft from falling into the hands of the Taliban, Afghan aviation personnel had to leave their families behind in Afghanistan. More than 93% of the former personnel of the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing in the United States have been separated from wives and children since August 2021. We seek to reunite these families. They deserve maximum effort and resolve.
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Education & Training
Improving language skills and transitioning from military careers to civilian ones takes time, money, and classwork. These men and women are highly trained professionals, and we seek to prevent them from getting trapped in menial jobs that waste years and trillions of US taxpayer funded training. Education is the way forward.
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Job Placement
The U.S. commercial aviation offers many employment opportunities for former members of the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing who seek to continue careers in aviation. We seek to partner with prominent employers who recognize the value of former Afghan aviation personnel. Many are graduates of the Afghan Air Force Academy or the National Military Academy of Afghanistan which was modeled after the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
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Colleagues Left Behind
Not all of our loyal allies made it out of Afghanistan. Former Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing personnel remain in hiding. Some have been executed, and others are hunted by the Taliban while they wait out immigration processes to come to the United States. We seek to keep the awareness of these vulnerable aviation colleagues out in front in the media and in the various political arenas. These men, women, and their service to the United States cannot be forgotten.
Your Support Means Everything to Them
Creating hope.
Focusing efforts.
Helping new Afghan refugees succeed.
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Afghan Air Force Personnel in the US0
Pilots with Operational Experience0
Non-Pilot Aircrew0
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