A U.S. military veteran is back home after traveling to Washington, D.C. last month to help advocate for issues related to Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants and supporting Afghan allies who were left behind when the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.
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| Doug Kennedy of Windham, right, shares dinner with one of his former interpreters from Afghanistan during a trip to Washington, D.C. in September. Kennedy went to Washington to advocate for passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act, granting residency to Afghan refugees who aided the American military. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
From 2010 to 2013, Kennedy logged 18 months in Kandahar and Helmand Provinces in Afghanistan working on an intelligence project and then from 2019 to 2020 he worked as an advisor in Kabul on a team of about 15 contractors to train Afghan Army officers.
'Fire Watch'
He traveled to Washington for a "Fire Watch" in support of the Afghan Adjustment Act, sponsored and organized by a group of Afghan Americans and supported by U.S. veterans’ groups.
“I first heard of Fire Watch on Sunday, Sept. 18 and bought my ticket on Monday and flew to Baltimore early Tuesday morning. I arrived at the US Capitol just before 10 a.m. and was greeted and welcomed by Matt Zeller, who is leading the veteran support. He is well known for his strong advocacy for issues related to Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants and supporting our Afghan allies who were left behind when the U.S. withdrew.
“I first heard of Fire Watch on Sunday, Sept. 18 and bought my ticket on Monday and flew to Baltimore early Tuesday morning. I arrived at the US Capitol just before 10 a.m. and was greeted and welcomed by Matt Zeller, who is leading the veteran support. He is well known for his strong advocacy for issues related to Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants and supporting our Afghan allies who were left behind when the U.S. withdrew.
Kennedy spent three days at the site, which was between the U.S. Capitol building and the Senate Office building. He said that the site is called "Base Camp Refuge" and has a presence 24 hours a day, seven days a week with up to 50 or so advocates present at any given time.
“They use solar panels and a generator for power for charging phones and laptops. Elon Musk
reportedly donated a StarLink satellite WiFi system for the camp,” Kennedy said. “Other donors provide the camp personnel with food, usually Afghan dishes, and water.” He said that a number of U.S. senators and U.S. representatives stopped by the camp while he was there, including Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who are both co-sponsors of the Senate’s Afghan Adjustment Act Bill.
“Quite a few journalists interviewed the veterans and Afghans standing watch, and my photo was published in the New York Times,” Kennedy said. “I was also interviewed and quoted for stories that have appeared in online media.”
According to Kennedy, the time he spent at “Base Camp Refuge” was definitely worth his time and effort.
“The main reason I went to Washington was because of promises I made to people during the last days of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan,” he said. “I spent a year in Kabul as an Advisor to the Afghan National Army and during mid-August 2021, as the Afghan government collapsed, I was in constant communication with the Interpreters and other Advisors that I worked with during my year in Kabul.
“The interpreters fear and panic as the Taliban closed in and began hunting for them was raw and very hard to process and most my life for a few weeks was consumed with keeping up with them, keeping their spirits up and trying to find a way to get them to safety,” Kennedy said. “During the mass flyout, only one of our roughly 20 interpreters made it out, the rest were left behind. We promised as a group to do whatever we could to get them to safety and make sure they were not forgotten. Over the next few months, all but about five interpreters made it out, either through Pakistan or they were evacuated by humanitarian groups. So, when I learned of the Fire Watch, I knew I had to go to lend whatever support I could, to fulfill the promise I made. One of the interpreters who worked with me was evacuated, but the other is still stuck in limbo. He did make it out, to Pakistan, but is still waiting for his Special
Immigrant Visa to be processed. The interpreter who made it out currently resides in Northern Virginia and I was happy that I was able to meet and have dinner with him one night.”
Maine senators
“The interpreters fear and panic as the Taliban closed in and began hunting for them was raw and very hard to process and most my life for a few weeks was consumed with keeping up with them, keeping their spirits up and trying to find a way to get them to safety,” Kennedy said. “During the mass flyout, only one of our roughly 20 interpreters made it out, the rest were left behind. We promised as a group to do whatever we could to get them to safety and make sure they were not forgotten. Over the next few months, all but about five interpreters made it out, either through Pakistan or they were evacuated by humanitarian groups. So, when I learned of the Fire Watch, I knew I had to go to lend whatever support I could, to fulfill the promise I made. One of the interpreters who worked with me was evacuated, but the other is still stuck in limbo. He did make it out, to Pakistan, but is still waiting for his Special
Immigrant Visa to be processed. The interpreter who made it out currently resides in Northern Virginia and I was happy that I was able to meet and have dinner with him one night.”
Maine senators
While Kennedy was in Washington, he met with staff members from both Maine Senator Angus King and Senator Susan Collins' offices.
“Senator King is fully onboard and in fact wants to join as a Senate co-sponsor for the AAA, but apparently, he needs to come onboard with a Republican Senator and is just waiting for that,” Kennedy said. “Senator Collins is currently focusing all her attention on a different piece of legislation, the Vote Counting Act, and isn't ready to commit to support for the AAA just yet. I believe once she takes a close look at what the AAA is all about, she will support the bill. There are enough votes in the Senate to pass the bill, but the biggest hurdle is overcoming opposition by Senator Grassley of Iowa who does not support it, due to security concerns. Without 60 votes, the filibuster will keep the legislation out of the Omnibus funding bill. The House version has already passed.”
He says the Afghan Adjustment Act is an important piece of legislation that everyone should be aware of and support for several reasons.
“Most of the 76,000-plus Afghans who came to the U.S. late last summer do not currently have a pathway for permanent residence. They came on Humanitarian Parole Visas that generally last 12 to 24 months, Kennedy said. “The AAA will allow these Afghan parolees to apply for permanent residency status. This would lift the possible years long cloud of uncertainty and enable them to more quickly assimilate into society. The AAA strengthens and enhances the SIV program. The SIV program was the promise made by the United States to Afghan allies who assisted our effort during 20-plus years of conflict. Afghans risked and, in many cases, gave their lives alongside US military personnel. They put their families at risk as well and left them vulnerable to Taliban retaliation. To subject these same Afghans to a potential forced return to Afghanistan will essentially sentence them to death.” <
“Senator King is fully onboard and in fact wants to join as a Senate co-sponsor for the AAA, but apparently, he needs to come onboard with a Republican Senator and is just waiting for that,” Kennedy said. “Senator Collins is currently focusing all her attention on a different piece of legislation, the Vote Counting Act, and isn't ready to commit to support for the AAA just yet. I believe once she takes a close look at what the AAA is all about, she will support the bill. There are enough votes in the Senate to pass the bill, but the biggest hurdle is overcoming opposition by Senator Grassley of Iowa who does not support it, due to security concerns. Without 60 votes, the filibuster will keep the legislation out of the Omnibus funding bill. The House version has already passed.”
He says the Afghan Adjustment Act is an important piece of legislation that everyone should be aware of and support for several reasons.
“Most of the 76,000-plus Afghans who came to the U.S. late last summer do not currently have a pathway for permanent residence. They came on Humanitarian Parole Visas that generally last 12 to 24 months, Kennedy said. “The AAA will allow these Afghan parolees to apply for permanent residency status. This would lift the possible years long cloud of uncertainty and enable them to more quickly assimilate into society. The AAA strengthens and enhances the SIV program. The SIV program was the promise made by the United States to Afghan allies who assisted our effort during 20-plus years of conflict. Afghans risked and, in many cases, gave their lives alongside US military personnel. They put their families at risk as well and left them vulnerable to Taliban retaliation. To subject these same Afghans to a potential forced return to Afghanistan will essentially sentence them to death.” <
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