These Afghan pilots’ hearts belong in the sky. Idahoans can help them soar.
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Jim Jones, Idaho Capital Sun & Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
Editor’s note: The following is an opinion column from former Idaho Attorney General and supreme court justice Jim Jones. It was originally published by the Idaho Capital Sun. EastIdahoNews.com reporter Rett Nelson provided additional sidebar content.
When Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in August 2021, Afghan aviators were ordered to fly their aircraft out of the country to keep them from falling into enemy hands. Over 300 pilots flew to surrounding countries, most of them having to leave their families behind.
How many people were left behind in Afghanistan?
Following the chaotic and sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, many national media outlets reported about 200 Americans were left behind. Other pundits and rescue groups said the number is much greater, including national radio host Glenn Beck.
In 2021, Beck’s audience raised $45 million over the course of two or three days to charter an entire airline for a rescue operation.
In an interview with EastIdahoNews.com earlier this month, Beck said there are many still there to this day. He and his team are still doing what they can to help.
He explained the rescue effort was done without the support of the U.S. government.
“At one point, they were playing paperwork games and laughed at us. We had all the paperwork they told us we needed the day before. When we got everything done and presented it to them, they said there’s a new form. When we asked where to get it, they said we could get it at the U.S. embassy in Kabul. ‘You just closed the embassy,’ we said. ‘Yep, I guess you’re going to have to figure that out,’ they replied, and hung up,” Beck said.
Beck describes the government’s response to their efforts as “evil” and says things like this have happened before in history.
Ultimately, he and his team were able to rescue more than 2,000 people, but Beck remains tight-lipped about how it played out.
“When I’m dead, we’ll tell that story,” he said.
Many of those pilots have been resettled in the U.S., including 14 who now live in Idaho. (EastIdahoNews.com did an in-depth story about three of the pilots living in eastern Idaho earlier this year). They have been working multiple jobs to support themselves and their families back home. They would do much better if they could put their aviation skills to work.
Even though the Afghans received rigorous flight training from U.S. and NATO forces and have flown thousands of hours, they must complete extensive ground and flight courses to qualify for aviation jobs in the United States.
That’s where Russ Stromberg, a retired Marine aviator, and Global Talent, a Boise nonprofit that helps refugees meet stateside licensing requirements for their occupational specialty, came together to provide a solution. The two have pioneered a project to help the Afghan pilots obtain the credentials to fly commercially in the U.S.
A dramatic upgrade in pay will help the pilots get their families to America that much sooner. Bringing the pilots on line will help alleviate the nation’s unprecedented pilot shortage.
The first group of five pilots has been selected for the training program, which is contingent on Global Talent achieving its fundraising goal of $40,000. The pilots are enthusiastic about their prospects. One of them stated it this way: “Your heart belongs to the sky. You have to go back to the sky and serve.” Idahoans can help these pilots soar by supporting the program.
It should be mentioned that Afghan pilots were some of our most committed allies in the Afghan conflict. In addition to the dangers they faced in the air, they became Taliban assassination targets in their homes. The United States is honor bound to provide safe haven to them and to the thousands of other Afghans who put themselves and their families at risk by partnering with and protecting U.S. troops.
Idahoans can help in that regard by urging our Congressional delegation to support the bi-partisan Afghan Adjustment Act (HR 4627 in the House and S. 2327 in the Senate). The legislation would provide a pathway to permanent residency for Afghans who only have temporary residence now and create pathways for continued relocation of those, like the pilots’ families, who were left behind. The legislation is strongly supported by a broad coalition of veteran, religious, business and legal organizations. Idaho’s entire delegation needs to add its support.
Idaho has an outstanding resettlement program that has taken in an increasing number of Afghan refugees since the national refugee program was restored to health two years ago. Of the 1,270 refugees who arrived in fiscal year 2022 (ending on Sept. 30), there were 512 Afghans. So far in fiscal year 2023, there are 120 Afghans among the 933 arrivals. The Idaho Office for Refugees oversees refugee resettlement in Idaho. Three resettlement agencies perform the hands-on work — the Agency for New Americans and the International Rescue Committee, both of which are in Boise, and the CSI Refugee Center in Twin Falls.
Each agency relies heavily on citizen involvement and can put community members to work welcoming and settling refugees, sponsoring events, helping find housing, providing cultural adjustment, supporting language programs and generally making newcomers feel at home in their new foreign setting.
Idaho’s refugee program is a demonstration that even in these contentious times we can come together to do important work, like helping beleaguered folks from other countries. The time, commitment and resources that Russ Stromberg has devoted toward training our Afghan pilot allies for new employment opportunities in America is a feel-good story for the times. And a gracious welcome for our Afghan friends who yearn to get back in the sky.
