Flanders Fields is on a relentless mission to meet the needs of US veterans suffering from homelessness, addiction or joblessness. Today, funds are being raised for a few specific Veterans affected by the botched Afghan withdrawal.
“Jack" (pictured) served for several years as a combat interpreter for the US military and used his service as a pathway to immigration in the US. He returned to Afghanistan this summer to get his wife out and got stuck when the US withdrew.
He is currently supporting himself, his pregnant wife, and his family of 8 on his life savings. He missed several car payments and had his car (which he left at home in the USA) repossessed on Oct 28. Between about five different people we have talked to probably around 50 people from Wells Fargo. The situation currently sits that they say it's impossible for them to freeze resale of the car past 23 Nov (even though I was originally told we had a month, they actually originally tried to resell after 14 days). We have offered to pay off reinstatement fees ($1500) or the total cost ($6k), but no one is authorized to retrieve the car for him without a notarized statement. If no one retrieves the car, abandonment procedures will start and it will still be resold within 1-3 months (exact timing unknown, apparently).
He's also an Uber driver, so his car is literally his life. He sustained injuries during his work as an interpreter from two IED blasts that damaged his ears and thus limit his employment options, so it's really, really his life.
This might come as a surprise to some, but our safe houses in Afghanistan don’t come furnished with a notary or a fax machine. Please somebody at Wells Fargo reach out to me so we can resolve this.
UPDATE: Wells Fargo held the sale of the vehicle, and Jack is now home in Arizona, minus his family. Flanders Fields paid the $1800 and change to get his vehicle back, but the tow lot pilfered his personal belongings to include his tools, claiming they can't hold them more than 30 days. He still has rent due and a $5000 balance remaining on his vehicle. Flanders would like to replace his tools and pay off his vehicle.
A message from a friend who served two armies, over half of his life in uniform, all in support of American interests:
“One thing that hurts my heart, brother, is that I have been watching other people’s family got out of Afghanistan, who never worked or done nothing for the US gov and they were able to get their families to the safety or they already got them to the USA and I see myself after serving all those years serving and Afghanistan in the front long shoulder to shoulder with soldiers and being as a soldier joined myself being a vet not able to get my family to the safety or to the USA is failing me. It hurts me brother.
I know lots of people here in Chicago who came to the USA on lottery visa and has done nothing for the US gov and they got their family’s of 20+ people out of Afghanistan and I did everything served half of my years and I can’t even get my family out.
I swear my parents are lost because of what they see is happening to my family stuck to the hands of TB and The US gov is still watching us until they die
From the beginning of the situation I thought man I served for the US gov and they will get my family out asap but now I get feeling of what happened to all my service appreciations
This is how I get appreciated by leaving my family to the hands of the Taliban my enemy”
“I started working as a linguist with the US SOF teams and other military branches in Dec/2001 when I was only 16 years old, and now I’m 37.
I have been working as a linguist with the US military and civilians every single year since then. Even now I work helping thousands of these new refugees, but I don’t see my family, my coworkers and my friends families among them who fought against the terrorist TB/ISIS and other groups in Afghanistan for decades.
I hear stores of how these people came here and how connections still bring people here. It is very painful to see my family and thousands of our friends families who risked their and their families lives supported/supporting US mission in Afghanistan still stranded and at sever risk left behind the enemy lines. There is not a day that goes by worrying what happens to my family.
I keep telling my family to stay apart and keep changing locations in case something happens to them we don’t want to lose everyone at once.
This administration has forgotten about us and our families, I’m afraid by the time they decide to do something about our families, it might be too late. Our families are at more risk than those who never helped/supported and will never help/support US interests around the globe. This is very sad and hurtful. :,(“
Flanders Fields is raising funds to keep both of these men's families safe, fed, and living indoors during the Afghan winter until such time as the US Dept of State sees fit to honor the promise it made them.
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