The Afghan American Development Group supports aviation personnel from the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing who arrived in the United States as part of Operation Allies Welcome during 2021-2022 and those continuing to come under P 1 processes or seeking asylum. These men and women are loyal allies of the United States and have been awarded asylum in America for that allegiance, sacrifice, and devotion.
The United States Air Force funded and trained aviation personnel from the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing commencing in 2007 with a simultaneous build up of fixed-wing and rotorcraft purchased by the United States. In the early phase, Afghan pilots and maintainers came to the United States to train on a variety of military bases in Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama. Many deployed to America multiple times for several years and received the same training as their American military counterparts. They became familiar with American culture, ate American food, and participated in American traditions. The Afghan aviation personnel were hailed as heroes and cherished allies in the combined war on terror.
In the latter years of America’s longest war, Afghan aviation personnel were trained in various countries by U.S. funded programs, and many pilots and maintainers were in the middle of their training when the U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan, and the Taliban took complete control on August 15, 2021. On this same date, the remaining elements of the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission took off under fire from the Kabul Air Wing bound for the neighboring countries of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. This last measure of heroism, to prevent the aircraft from falling into the hands of the Taliban, meant leaving their families remaining in Afghanistan in what can best be described as behind enemy lines.
As refugees in the United States, the aviation professionals of the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing, trained and equipped by the U.S. taxpayer, face a number of immediate hurdles and impediments ranging from completing an extensive ladder list of Federal forms, navigating varying, and sometimes conflicting, State and Municipal forms, and securing shelter and employment. All Afghan aviation personnel face the arduous task of taking American military training used for missions in Afghanistan and transitioning that experience to licensure recognized by the Federal Aviation Association. While we have successfully managed to get a few pilots flying again, most of this tremendous pool of aviation talent works for menial wages in warehouse night shifts, in the rideshare industry, and food delivery services. Finally, 93% of the Afghan Air Force and Special Mission Wing personnel in the United States have not seen their families and loved ones since August 2021, when they flew out of the country with all available aircraft to neighboring countries. These families remain behind enemy lines where they are hunted and persecuted by the Taliban in a country where the United Nations estimates 94% of households face food shortages.
The Afghan American Development Group prioritizes assisting our aviation brothers and sisters with resettlement assistance, job training to get them back into aviation careers, and, above all else, family reunification.
Your support means the world
Our success depends on the generosity of individuals like you. Whether you choose to donate your time or contribute financially, you are an essential part of our mission to give our allies a safe landing.
