The people of Afghanistan were our loyal Allies in the Global War on Terror for twenty years (2001-2021). The Afghan military professionals built careers around that service, and many trained extensively in the United States at the expense of the American taxpayer. When the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, the country collapsed to the Taliban. Many will recall the horrific last days when Afghans clung to the departing American planes hoping to escape. Our Afghan Allies lost their homes, their pensions, and their families. The men and women of the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing arrived in the United States with the clothes on their backs and nothing more. They were given food stamps and a few months rent. At a time when our country is in dire need of pilots and airplane mechanics, the aviation professionals from Afghanistan living in the United States are working jobs in the rideshare industry or as cashiers in convenience stores. Most are trapped working several menial jobs to support themselves and feed their families still hiding from the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Your assistance is needed to get Afghan aviation professionals back to their former career paths which helps everyone. Transition from military aviation to commercial aviation costs money. Pilots need funding for flight school and check out rides. Mechanics need FAA required programs and testing. Our Afghan Allies were there for us for twenty years; we need to be here for them now.
