Cincinnati Afghan Family
Donation protected
The most truly, extraordinary thing happened to us this year:
I happened to be in Walmart at 10 pm one Tuesday evening last August (that never happens and is a long story in itself), and I saw a woman who was wearing a head scarf very similar to one my son, Ben, bought in Afghanistan for me during his first tour. As you may recall, he was on the bomb squad (EOD) and diffused IEDs. I asked the woman if she was from Afghanistan and she shook her head but pointed to her husband who was checking out. He came over and asked if everything was ok. I told him about the scarf and my son and the first thing he said was THANK YOU, to all Americans for supporting the Afghans. He said he worked for the US as a translator and cultural adviser. He asked where Ben was stationed and when I told him one of the years was Jalalabad, he asked if Ben was at FOB Finley Shields. I told him he was and he asked if he could talk to Ben, he had worked at that FOB and thought they may know some of the same people. He was hoping to make contact with some of the soldiers he knew in Afghanistan as they were alone in Cincinnati and trying to figure out the American way of life. They had arrived in November 2017. I told him I’d have to check and we exchanged contact info.
Ben was happy to call him the next day and made plans to see him that afternoon. When Ben went to visit, the two immediately recognized each other. The Afghani had been Ben’s translator and cultural adviser for 9 months! This family had to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban targeted them for working with the Americans. I feel that Ben may not have come home from either of his tours without the guidance and knowledge this person gave him about Afghan culture. He had risked his own life and that of his family for our service members!
It has been an absolute joy getting to know this family and the one other Afghan family here in Cincinnati. We have meals together, quite an experience, and we have been able to help them track down several wayward Green Cards with the help of our Senator’s office. As they had no credit history at all, they’re called ghosts. We have been able to help maneuver around several issues do to that.
We are in the process of moving them to a new location. Sadly, the neighborhood they are currently in is abusive. They have been robbed twice, once with a knife, once with a gun, the mother is heckled and has been harassed as she walks to Catholic Charities for ESL classes, the youngest children are bullied in school and several weeks ago a group of young men blocked the road so they could not drive past. Needless to say this infuriates and saddens me. This family had to flee their homeland because they put saving American lives ahead of their own. Although they certainly want to make it on their own, they are struggling. The father (Ben’s translator) is supporting his family by driving for Lyft and Uber. They look forward to becoming American citizens, we look forward to helping with that.
Our goal is to raise $1,000/month for 2 years, either through one time or regular donations. This would allow them to pay off their debt to the IOM (International Organization of Migrants) for traveling expenses and the car that was purchased so the father could become a driver and earn a living. The rest would be used for regular expenses, the rent on the new location is higher than they were currently paying, but the schools are much better and it will be a safe neighborhood.
Thank you for your help! Please let us know if you have any questions or want to know how your money is being used.
Wearing our scarves.......the Afghan woman is wearing the scarf I recognized in Walmart. As it turned out the father had taken Ben and a group of soldiers to a market he knew was safe to purchase this scarf. He bought one for his wife at the same time.
Thanksgiving 2018
I happened to be in Walmart at 10 pm one Tuesday evening last August (that never happens and is a long story in itself), and I saw a woman who was wearing a head scarf very similar to one my son, Ben, bought in Afghanistan for me during his first tour. As you may recall, he was on the bomb squad (EOD) and diffused IEDs. I asked the woman if she was from Afghanistan and she shook her head but pointed to her husband who was checking out. He came over and asked if everything was ok. I told him about the scarf and my son and the first thing he said was THANK YOU, to all Americans for supporting the Afghans. He said he worked for the US as a translator and cultural adviser. He asked where Ben was stationed and when I told him one of the years was Jalalabad, he asked if Ben was at FOB Finley Shields. I told him he was and he asked if he could talk to Ben, he had worked at that FOB and thought they may know some of the same people. He was hoping to make contact with some of the soldiers he knew in Afghanistan as they were alone in Cincinnati and trying to figure out the American way of life. They had arrived in November 2017. I told him I’d have to check and we exchanged contact info.
Ben was happy to call him the next day and made plans to see him that afternoon. When Ben went to visit, the two immediately recognized each other. The Afghani had been Ben’s translator and cultural adviser for 9 months! This family had to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban targeted them for working with the Americans. I feel that Ben may not have come home from either of his tours without the guidance and knowledge this person gave him about Afghan culture. He had risked his own life and that of his family for our service members!
It has been an absolute joy getting to know this family and the one other Afghan family here in Cincinnati. We have meals together, quite an experience, and we have been able to help them track down several wayward Green Cards with the help of our Senator’s office. As they had no credit history at all, they’re called ghosts. We have been able to help maneuver around several issues do to that.
We are in the process of moving them to a new location. Sadly, the neighborhood they are currently in is abusive. They have been robbed twice, once with a knife, once with a gun, the mother is heckled and has been harassed as she walks to Catholic Charities for ESL classes, the youngest children are bullied in school and several weeks ago a group of young men blocked the road so they could not drive past. Needless to say this infuriates and saddens me. This family had to flee their homeland because they put saving American lives ahead of their own. Although they certainly want to make it on their own, they are struggling. The father (Ben’s translator) is supporting his family by driving for Lyft and Uber. They look forward to becoming American citizens, we look forward to helping with that.
Our goal is to raise $1,000/month for 2 years, either through one time or regular donations. This would allow them to pay off their debt to the IOM (International Organization of Migrants) for traveling expenses and the car that was purchased so the father could become a driver and earn a living. The rest would be used for regular expenses, the rent on the new location is higher than they were currently paying, but the schools are much better and it will be a safe neighborhood.
Thank you for your help! Please let us know if you have any questions or want to know how your money is being used.
Wearing our scarves.......the Afghan woman is wearing the scarf I recognized in Walmart. As it turned out the father had taken Ben and a group of soldiers to a market he knew was safe to purchase this scarf. He bought one for his wife at the same time.Thanksgiving 2018Organizer
Vicki Moseley
Organizer
Cincinnati, OH
