Wartime Allies
Wartime Allies
Wartime Allies
Telling the stories of those who served shoulder to shoulder with America during its wars.
The Lucky Few
Matt and Janis visit with a group of interpreters who were fortunate to make it out during the evacuation and now reside in a camp at Fort Pickett, VA. The Afghans share their incredible experiences and their fears for the fate of those who remain left behind.
Oct 10, 2021
58 min
Behind Enemy Lines - Sakhi
Sakhi, an Afghan wartime ally who served for 5 years, shares what life is like inside Taliban held Mazar-I-Sharif and his grim prospects for the future.
Aug 14, 2021
15 min
Behind Enemy Lines - Milad
Milad, an Afghan wartime ally, who served with coalition forces for over four years, contacted us to let us know he’s now trapped in the city of Qala-E-Naw, the capital of Baghdis province (some 800km west of Kabul). The Taliban now rule the city and are going door to door hunting down our wartime allies, enforcing their brutality upon all in their reach.
Aug 13, 2021
10 min
Afghan Update - 13 AUG 2021
Matt gives an update on the latest Taliban offensive and explains how they are now at the gates of Kabul, poised to conquer the country once and for all.
Aug 13, 2021
19 min
Welcome Home
Season Two kicks off with Usman, our first wartime ally who was evacuated as part of Operation Allies Refuge. He has been in the United States for 72 hours and his relief is palpable. He shares his incredible journey of what it was like to leave his home and family in Afghanistan seemingly forever, pack his two bags, and journey to his new home in America. He takes us on the flight to freedom and shares what it was like to finally arrive safely in the United States and his dreams for the future. Finally, Matt provides a crucial update as the Taliban conquest of Afghanistan has their forces knocking on Kabul’s door.
Aug 12, 2021
51 min
Attacked By The Taliban
Jan, an Afghan interpreter served with US special forces for 8 years. Now he is left behind. The Taliban attacked him a few days ago. He fought them off and barely escaped with his life. Now, even his own neighbors are telling him they hope the Taliban kill him when they take over.
Jul 28, 2021
25 min
An Inflection Point
Chris Purdy, an Iraq war veteran & Director of Veterans for American Ideals and Kim Staffieri, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the Association of Wartime Allies, join Matt to give an overview of the mission & effort to save our Afghan wartime allies via the largest airlift since the Berlin airlift in 1948. They share the latest updates pertaining to Operation Allies Refuge and give the story of how advocates convinced the Biden administration that only an evacuation would save these people.
Jul 23, 2021
49 min
Pinned Down
Wardak, an Afghan wartime ally, joins the podcast live from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan - the barn in which he’s hiding with livestock. He shares how the Taliban is 5 min away from him at every moment - always hunting him. He’s desperate to try and escape, but he’s pinned down with no where to run. Kristen Babicki from the Association of Wartime Allies also joins to share the latest in the advocacy to save our Afghan allies. Matt and Janis discuss the Operation Allies Refuge and the failure of the Biden administration to thus far save our wartime allies.
Jul 16, 2021
49 min
No Way Out
Shareef contacted us to let us know he had returned to Kandahar to try and get the documents (his ID, passport, etc.) that he left behind when he fled the Taliban gunman who attacked his home, killing his dad. He retrieved the documents, but as he tried to make his way to the airport, the Taliban attacked and surrounded the city, cutting off access to the airport. Caught in the crossfire, Shareef got injured. Now he plans to disguise himself as a woman and attempt to try and sneak out of the city - it’s his only option. He’s surrounded by his killers with no way out.
Jul 14, 2021
12 min
The Fight to Save a Life
Hemi, an Afghan wartime ally who served as an interpreter for US forces for 10 years, and Adam Malaty-Uhr, an US Army veteran and Afghan war veteran who served with Hemi, share their incredible story of the fight to get Hemi his visa and save his life. Janis and Matt discuss the disaster of a press conference by President Biden and the effort to convince the administration to evacuate our allies to Guam.
Jul 9, 2021
59 min
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