<div>IMAGINE… these are your only belongings for your family of six who have left everything for parts unknown… uncertainty is on your mind but HOPE is in your heart.

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<div>Please support Dr. Jalal and family, our newest Texans.

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<div>WHAT HAPPENED?

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<div>A little over thirteens years ago, a squad of the 2/7 Marines was responding to another squad who was just attacked. As they were driving through a bazaar a Taliban fighter, fitted with a suicide vest, hopped onto the hood of a lead vehicle and detonated himself. Everyone inside the Humvee was generally unscathed with the exception of being rattled. The civilians shopping in the bazaar weren’t as fortunate. Many of them were small children.

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<div>Corpsman Michael “Doc” McCarthy sprang into action to treat the wounded and consolidate the dead. Jalal, the Afghan interpreter attached to the unit, assisted Doc . That tragic day forged a lifelong bond and forever changed both of them. They became the best of friends from that day forth. That day, also, altered Jalal’s path in life, leading him to become a doctor. A devout Muslim, Jalal committed himself to helping others. Michael, the pure and genuine person he was, paid for Jalal’s medical schooling. They kept in touch regularly.

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<div>In May 2021, Jalal reached out to Michael and other members of the 2/7 for assistance. The US withdrawal plans were putting him and his family at risk. Michael and others talked strategies for getting Jalal and his family out almost daily. Then one day Michael went dark…

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<div>On August 12th, Michael took his own life.

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<div>Not allowing one tragedy to beget yet another, Michael’s fellow 2/7 marines and others worked around the clock ultimately finding a covert way to get Dr. Jalal and his family (wife, daughter, and three sons) safely out of Afghanistan and into a refugee camp. 

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<div>After much anguish, unease, and wait, (welcomed by members of the 2/7) Dr. Jalal and family arrived to Houston, TX, on January 31, where they’re resettling permanently.

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<div>HOW CAN YOU HELP?

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<div>Donate. Share this link. Tell your friends and family. Honor Michael’s final mission for this family. Encourage others to support those who’ve supported our own troops… Help our new Americans get on their feet.

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<div>Upon hitting our goal, I will transfer all funds raised to Dr. Jalal and family.

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<div>Sincerely,

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<div>Mike Ritz

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New Lives - Help Jalal & family resettle in Texas

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