Afghanistan vet says Afghan allies who risked lives are 'deserving to resettle in the U.S.'

U.S Marine veteran Joseph Dietzel writes in Military Times that he had no idea his interpreter Mustafa Aahangaran would become one of his closest friends after being deployed to Afghanistan back in 2010. Dietzel writes that before his deployment, he’d never even met anyone from Afghanistan before.

He said the two soon became “practically inseparable,” sharing meals and stories throughout a dangerous mission. Aahangaran would oftentimes make initial contact with a village, wearing only a bulletproof vest. 

They separated only when Dietzel suffered a debilitating injury that resulted in him having to return home to the U.S. They reunited in 2016, when Aahangaran and his family finally received visa approval. Dietzel writes that other allies deserve their relief, too, and that despite the historic evacuations last year, many still remain in danger today.

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