He Kept Showing Up - The Power of a Promise

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 that gap, explaining our tactics and building trust with the local leaders, that operation never would have gotten off the ground," France said.

The Real Mission

France served as Executive Officer of Advanced Operations Base 220, Special Operations Task Force 202 at FOB Salerno in Khowst, Afghanistan from July 2009 to February 2010.

Jabar was a supervising security guard who worked directly with the task force.

But that title doesn't capture what he actually did.

"Jabar was the person who kept us alive and connected us to the local population we were there to protect," France said.

Here's what civilians don't understand: Special Operations missions in Afghanistan didn't succeed because of superior firepower or technology.

They succeeded because of people like Jabar.

"Without wartime allies like Jabar, American soldiers like me couldn't have accomplished our mission. Period," France said. "He wasn't supporting our team. He was an essential member of it."

The Cost

Every day Jabar showed up to work, he knew what it meant.

Multiple attacks on his residence. Frequent ambush attempts. Constant threats via electronic communication and "night letters" from enemy forces.

His family knew it too. They paid the price for his service alongside him.

"He kept showing up anyway, knowing the risks," France said.

Think about that choice. Every morning. Knowing that standing with Americans meant a target on your back. Meant your family in danger. Meant a society that would call you traitor.

Jabar made that choice. Every single day.

The Letter

March 2021.

France sat down to write a letter of recommendation for Jabar's Special Immigrant Visa application.

He thought about those operations that succeeded because of Jabar. The cultural gaps bridged. The trust built. The lives saved.

He thought about the promises made in 2009. The implicit contract: Stand with us, and we'll stand with you.

He wrote the letter.

Why He Fights

France Hoang was born in Saigon, Vietnam. His family came to America as refugees.

He knows what it means to be given sanctuary. He also knows what it means when allies are left behind.

"I joined the board of No One Left Behind because I've seen firsthand what happens when we keep our promises. And what happens when we don't," France said.

As Executive Chairman of Allied Airlift 21, he's helped coordinate the evacuation of over 2,000 Afghan allies from Afghanistan.

But thousands more are still waiting.

The Power of a Promise

"Bringing allies like Jabar home isn't just about honoring our promise," France said. "It's about recognizing that these allies put everything on the line for us, and many are still paying the price."

The Special Immigrant Visa program was created to protect people like Jabar. But bureaucratic delays, changing policies, and lack of resources have left thousands waiting.

Some for years. Some in hiding. All in danger.

France thinks about that mission in 2009. The one that wouldn't have succeeded without Jabar.

He thinks about all the missions that depended on allies like him.

He thinks about the promise America made.

Jabar kept showing up, even when it endangered his family. There are many others who have made similar choices.

The least we can do is show up for them.

This is the Power of a Promise.