Stories of Impact

Nearly a decade ago, Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Annie Yu Kleiman deployed to Afghanistan as part of a Cultural Support Team, or American women who worked alongside U.S. special operations forces. Her mission was to train a select group of Afghan women for the Female Tactical Platoon (FTP), an elite unit that conducted combat missions and night raids with U.S. Army Rangers and other special operators. "They were in danger for being in the military, they were in danger for bein

FOB Salerno, Afghanistan – 2009 The mission was falling apart before it started. France Hoang needed to coordinate with local Afghan leaders for an operation. The cultural barriers were insurmountable. The linguistic gaps, wider. Trust? Nonexistent. Then Jabar stepped in. He was more than a security guard. He was the bridge. The translator of more than words, of intent, of tactics, of why a group of Americans needed these leaders to believe in them. "Without Jabar bridging th

Qalat, Afghanistan – 2007 JP's introduction to the cost of service came on a routine patrol. An IED. One American soldier killed. One interpreter, Abdul, killed beside him. "They faced the same threats we did," JP said. He served as Senior Enlisted Advisor on an Embedded Training Team from July 2007 to July 2008, working with the 2nd Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 205th Corps, Afghan National Army. But Abdul's death wasn't the end of his family's nightmare. It was the beginning. "Our i

By Matthew Marcellus, Director of Communications, No One Left Behind The Zaki family celebrate their six-month anniversary of arriving to the United States, Oct. 12, 2025, along with sponsors. Photo provided by Jane Patton. ARLINGTON, Va.  – When Arifa Zaki's work supporting American evacuation efforts made her family a Taliban target, the Virginia-based nonprofit No One Left Behind stepped in to provide what the U.S. government no longer could: a flight to safety. On April 9

My name is Zohra Neda. I was born and raised in Kabul and Balkh, Afghanistan. I completed both my schooling and university education in Afghanistan, graduating with a degree from the Faculty of Computer Science. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with various international organizations. Between 2017 and 2018, I collaborated with Chemonics International on the Women in Government project in Kabul, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID

TRANSCRIPT: Good to see you brother. And I'm so glad to hear you and see you. I really appreciate your help and right now I'm in...

My name is Amena Saddat, a woman who once lived in Afghanistan, where I worked for eight years as a teacher at a public school. Those...

Today marks the fourth anniversary of the Fall of Kabul - a day that changed everything for tens of thousands of Afghan allies who risked...

We have reached the final chapter in Ibrahim’s SIV journey. After 15 long years of waiting, reapplying, and living in limbo, he finally...

This is part 4 of a 5-part series about Ibrahim’s journey to the United States.  After 15 long years of waiting, four interviews, and...

This is part 3 of a 5-part series about Ibrahim’s journey to the United States.  You can hear it in his voice: the frustration, the sense...

This is part 2 of a 5-part series about Ibrahim’s journey to the United States.  When an Iraqi or Afghan ally chose to serve the United...

This is part 1 of a 5-part series about Ibrahim’s journey to the United States.  Meet Ibrahim, aka B.  He served as an interpreter for...

Zalmai Sharifi’s life took a dramatic and irreversible turn when he and his family were flown from Albania to Seattle, Washington. As the...