HELP SUPPORT AN AFGHAN ALLY FAMILY IN USA
Please help our Afghan family with strong ties to the U.S. Military resettle in the USA.
Hello, I’m Susan Marticello. For the safety and protection of their family, I am setting up this fundraiser on behalf of Afghan brothers and not identifying them by their names. The brothers have been living in the U.S. and have been part of my family for several years. The brothers served alongside the U.S. military as interpreters, and one of the brothers came on a student visa and has since received his green card. I am proud that they consider me their “American Mom,” and I have been so blessed to have them in my and my daughters’ lives.
With the latest events in Afghanistan, their big family (also Special Immigration Visa SIV applicants) needed to flee the country to seek a better life in the U.S.A. . I love my “Afghan sons” and I am hoping to help their family by sponsoring this fundraiser. Please, if you have questions or are curious to hear more about their story, message me.
They have written the following letter below to you. Please help the big family get on their feet, and start their American Dream.
Thank you,
Susan Marticello
Hello, our American friends,
As some of you may know, we brothers are originally from Afghanistan but now living in the U.S. We have been tirelessly working to help our family evacuate from our home country these past couple of weeks. We want to thank everyone for your love and support as we worked on getting our big family out. In case you have not heard, after anxiously waiting outside the Hamid Karzai Airport, and navigating the difficult and dangerous environment, our family evacuated Kabul on a U.S. airlift and are now in Europe undergoing the Special Immigration Visa (SIV) process that will allow them to come to the United States. We are uncertain how long this process will take but hope their stay abroad is brief and our long-awaited reunion can come soon. We are so grateful to all service members who have helped our family on their journey to America.
We are reaching out to you, our American friends, seeking your generosity to help resettle our family here in the States. Since our parents, brothers, sisters, and their families had to leave by airlift to escape immediate danger, they only have the clothes on their back and are starting from scratch. They have left everything behind. We want to ensure they have the basic necessities to settle in a new town. We hope to set up housing for them nearby, and to do this we will be working with area refugee organizations. However, with tens of thousands of Afghan refugees coming to the United States, we know these organizations will be overwhelmed, and we hope not to be a burden.
Here's our story. Early in the War, our parents often welcomed U.S. service members into our home to share tea and home-cooked dishes with them. These visits set the wheels in motion for us to become English interpreters, serving side by side with U.S. military members for years. Being embedded, we were part of the unit. We made it possible for the US military and Afghan leaders to meet in spite of the language barrier. We fought alongside the U.S military on the battlefields helping and protecting them in dangerous areas and alerted them of any threat. We did our best to advise and went out of our way to help our American allies in Afghanistan. Our service with the US military allowed us to come to the U.S. as SIV holders.
“Having a interpreter who not only knew the language but also the political climate in Afghanistan was crucial to both our mission and my survival. He escorted me everywhere and I was so grateful to have his eyes and ears to assure that we were not in danger. His years of service put his life in danger and arguably his family’s lives too. He will always be my brother in arms.“--a quote from a Colonel, USAF
Additionally, our younger brother came to the U.S. on a student visa after his education experience in Afghanistan was disrupted by war. He is currently pursuing science and medicine education. Our younger brother was attending an American international school in Kabul, Afghanistan. His school was under direct threat from the Taliban. They threatened to kill all the students and staff if they didn't close down the school. The school board had no option other than closing the school for good, leaving him stranded in Kabul. The Catholic Central came to his rescue. He was offered a scholarship and support from Catholic Central high school to attend the school. He loves his Central Catholic community. He always appreciates their warm welcome and generosity.
We are so grateful for all the love and support you have given us throughout the years. If you have the ability, we would appreciate your support in helping our family get back on their feet.
Many thanks and sincerely,
Afghan-American Brothers
#AfghanFamToUSA
#AfghanAllyFamReunite
To hear more about a family’s perilous journey out of Afghanistan similar to ours, you can listen and watch this PBS news hour 3-minute video:
https://youtu.be/DnU47sXvnFA?t=367
