
Bring Jose Home
Donation protected
It was a hot July morning in 2007 when a group of Minnesota National Guard soldiers were packing up to head back home after 16 months in Iraq. One of the hardest goodbyes was to our interpreter, Code Name Jose. He helped us communicate with locals while on hundreds of area patrols and humanitarian aid missions. He had our backs every day and helped change our lives and those in the oppressed villages we supported. We gave him our word that our replacements had already started a general letter for him allowing him to apply for his special immigrant visa and we would see him again soon back in Minnesota.
Fast forward 14 years and we learned that he had been left behind with no general letter from our replacements. They had broken their word to him and us and he was left behind with no hope of a safe life in the middle of war-torn Iraq. He reached out following death threats, physical attacks and a broken nose looking for help from his Minnesota Family. After spending almost 2 years tracking down a general letter, submitting applications, waiting for government replies, visa interviews and hope the day is almost here for Jose. He has finally been granted his Special Immigrant Visa and will travel to Minnesota in mid-September to be reunited with his Minnesota Family.
Due to Jose’s affiliation with the United States, he has been ostracized and has struggled to find work since the draw back in Iraq therefore he has very limited funds. Any and all donations are so greatly appreciated. Jose has given so much for the United States, and now it is our turn to repay his sacrifices for our great country. Please help us bring Jose home to the United States and help him start a new life in the land he has sacrificed so much for.









Organizer
Ashley Pesta
Organizer
Long Prairie, MN