Posted on Sep 8, 2021
An Iowa town goes to battle for Afghan immigrant
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At first glance, Iowa Falls might be an uncomfortable place for a devout Muslim. Pork, forbidden in Islam, is big business here, and there isn't a mosque for miles. And yet, for Zalmay Niazy – an Afghan who goes simply by "Zee" – Iowa Falls has been the answer to his prayers.
"Iowa Falls is home," he told correspondent Lee Cowan.
Niazy came to the U.S. after serving as an interpreter for both American and Allied forces in eastern Afghanistan. Every mission made him a target of the Taliban.
"Iowa Falls is home," he told correspondent Lee Cowan.
Niazy came to the U.S. after serving as an interpreter for both American and Allied forces in eastern Afghanistan. Every mission made him a target of the Taliban.
An Iowa town goes to battle for Afghan immigrant
Posted from cbsnews.com
Immigration
Refugees
Afghanistan
Taliban
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
...""I have seen a lot of my very good friends have been killed," Niazy said, "and we've been given body bags to just pick something for the family."
"Did your Humvee ever get hit?" Cowan asked.
"Plenty times."
He had a bullet taken out of his arm; he nearly lost an eye to shrapnel; and when the bus he was riding in drove over a roadside bomb, he nearly lost a leg.
When folks in Iowa Falls heard of his service, people like Duane and Emily Kruckenberg didn't just welcome him, they practically saluted him.
"It's not just his personality, it's his character," said Emily. "He would do anything for anybody, and he showed that with the service he did for us."
Duane said, "He's probably more of an American than some people that are born here."
What few people knew, however, was just how Niazy got here in the first place.
In 2014 the U.S. contractor Zee had been working for in Kabul flew him to Washington, D.C., for business. Niazy was thrilled, but he had no intention of leaving Afghanistan for good. "If everybody leaves that country, who's going to fix it?" he said.
Hours after he landed, his parents found a warning – one of several they'd received from the Taliban – nailed to their front door. In short it said if Niazy went home, he'd be dead – and so would his family.
The Taliban has already made good on past threats. Niazy said they murdered his uncle and forced his parents into hiding. "It was the hardest decision of my life, that, 'What am I going to do?'" he said. "I just didn't want any more pain, just didn't want my family to live like immigrants in their own country anymore."
Niazy had no choice but to apply for political asylum."...
SFC James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" Good example... check it out on Chip's or my Profile.
...""I have seen a lot of my very good friends have been killed," Niazy said, "and we've been given body bags to just pick something for the family."
"Did your Humvee ever get hit?" Cowan asked.
"Plenty times."
He had a bullet taken out of his arm; he nearly lost an eye to shrapnel; and when the bus he was riding in drove over a roadside bomb, he nearly lost a leg.
When folks in Iowa Falls heard of his service, people like Duane and Emily Kruckenberg didn't just welcome him, they practically saluted him.
"It's not just his personality, it's his character," said Emily. "He would do anything for anybody, and he showed that with the service he did for us."
Duane said, "He's probably more of an American than some people that are born here."
What few people knew, however, was just how Niazy got here in the first place.
In 2014 the U.S. contractor Zee had been working for in Kabul flew him to Washington, D.C., for business. Niazy was thrilled, but he had no intention of leaving Afghanistan for good. "If everybody leaves that country, who's going to fix it?" he said.
Hours after he landed, his parents found a warning – one of several they'd received from the Taliban – nailed to their front door. In short it said if Niazy went home, he'd be dead – and so would his family.
The Taliban has already made good on past threats. Niazy said they murdered his uncle and forced his parents into hiding. "It was the hardest decision of my life, that, 'What am I going to do?'" he said. "I just didn't want any more pain, just didn't want my family to live like immigrants in their own country anymore."
Niazy had no choice but to apply for political asylum."...
SFC James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" Good example... check it out on Chip's or my Profile.
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