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Janae Pierre: Welcome back to The Takeaway I'm Janae Pierre in for MHP.

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Zainullah Zaki: Part of the picture of the youngest generation of Afghanistan this is when Americans just come to Afghanistan.

Janae Pierre: Zainullah Zaki was 11 when the US first invaded Afghanistan in 2001. He lived in the eastern part of the country with his parents and eight siblings on a small farm where the family grew enough to sustain themselves. With the soldiers' arrival came new buildings, and schools, and supplies. Zak, as he came known to be, was eager to be part of it. He learned English and began serving as an interpreter for a Marine Battalion in 2010.

Zainullah Zaki: When they come to our province they start building schools. When they come out on patrols to our village and going somewhere on missions they throw things and notebooks, books from their cars, from their Humvees, and they make schools. They help us out and rebuild our government, they rebuild our government system, our security forces and that's why I decided to learn English and join the Americans, our partners. I help them out. They didn't speak our languages which is Pashto and Dari so they needed help. That's why it make me to go and work together with our American partners side by side.

Janae Pierre: Zak continued to work for the US government through 2014. He married and became a father but he always knew his work put a target on his back.

Zainullah Zaki: I was work as a interpreter for American forces. That make me problems and put me in a risk because I was serving for my country with our partners the US troops and that's why it's put me in the problems and put me in the danger and the risk of death.

Janae Pierre: During this time, he met Major Tom Schueman, the platoon commander for a 3rd Battalion in the Marines. The two men became friends and when Tom left Afghanistan in 2013, they stayed in touch. In April of 2021, President Biden announced that after 20 years of war, the US was leaving Afghanistan for good by September. As soon as Major Tom Schueman heard, he checked in with Zak. Interpreters working for the US were no friend to the Taliban and Zak had received death threats for as long as he worked for the military.

Major Tom Schueman: After the announcement, I asked Zak what the implications were of a US withdrawal and what would happen to him and he said, "I'll be killed."

Janae Pierre: Tom knew that he needed to help get his friend out but in July, US forces packed up and deserted their largest airbase, Bagram Airfield, which had once housed as many as 100,000 soldiers. They stole away in the night leaving behind bottles of water, ready-made meals, vehicles, small weapons, and Afghan soldiers. This marked the beginning of a swift and chaotic departure for all United States military personnel over the next month while the Taliban army was right on their heels. Tom thought they would have more time to get Zak and his family out but then the city of Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15th.

Major Tom Schueman: We were still working initially under an assumption that we had till the end of the month. We went from thinking that we had two more weeks to saying, "We've got to get out today." I was connected to a Marine from 1-8, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines who was working with security at the perimeter and he said, "If you send your friend, I can pull him in through the perimeter." Zak and his family had to walk several miles with their bags and four kids at the time to the airport. As they got to the airport, [shouting] that's when the entire perimeter collapsed. That's when people saw the images of everybody running on the tarmac and climbing on the plane.

It was just bad luck and I guess that you can call it bad timing that when Zak got there, it's at the very moment that all hell broke loose there and they closed the gates. To start to get control of the crowd, the Taliban which was working with the US started to shoot into the crowd.

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Janae Pierre: The scene the family walked into was utter chaos. Thousands of people were trying to escape the city.

Speaker 1: I went to the Americans, they pushed me out, they kicked me out. I went to the Germans, they beat me up with the sticks. They fired at us. You see these gas fires that make you cry?

Speaker 2: Yes, teargas.

Speaker 1: Yes, teargas.

Janae Pierre: They crowded into and outside of the airport. In the days ahead, US forces fired warning shots and deployed teargas to try and keep people from flowing into the airfields.

Zainullah Zaki: Oh yes, at the first I was hopeless because when I go to Kabul and see the situation around HKIA, it was horrible and terrible also for my kids. They were crying but the bullets just flying everywhere and around us. We saw people get killed. My wife said, "Let us killed in our house. Just go back."

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Janae Pierre: Zak and Tom felt like they had failed.

Major Tom Schueman: Zak had to walk back that night and that was very tough for him and his family and tough for me over here knowing that I've sent them into that situation.

Janae Pierre: They didn't give up.

Major Tom Schueman: We arranged some transportation for him but it's not like you can call an Uber. The guy that actually took him on the second trip, during that trip, the Taliban knew that he was supporting US and Afghan interpreters. They killed his father-in-law while he was taking Zak to the airport. They got to the airport and this time they're so close to the gate. Zak's sending me pictures of the Marine saying, "I'm telling the Marines I'm here." It was the same scenario where the gates started to get rushed and when the gates started to get rushed, they would just collapse the gate and secure them.

These 18-year-old Marines that we're asking to figure out this impossible situation in this sea of chaos and humanity were just trying to do their best but they also had security concerns and responsibilities. It was at this time that Zak sent me a video and he's saying, "What do you want me to do? The Marines are not listening. They won't let me in. I'm telling them that you know me." I tell them that this is their captain's name to let you in. He's saying, "They're not listening." Then he's sending me a video over Whatsapp and his daughter's sitting in his lap and then machine gun fire starts to go over their head. She started screaming and crying. It was just absolutely brutal.

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Zainullah Zaki: We was very close to the gate where it was the Marines and above the Marines there was tower and there was Afghan Special Forces and they just shooting from that tower around. The people and the crowd just get away from the gate. My daughter, she was in my left arm and she was just crying and said, "They're going to kill us. Take us back to home." Her mom said too, "We're going to get killed and the kids are going to come under people feet and they are going to kill let's. Just let's go home. We're now going nowhere. Just go home if they kill us, they're going to kill us in our own house, not in the crowd."

Janae Pierre: On August 16th, the day after the city fell, Seven Afghans died in the airport chaos. One video captured some Afghans' attempt to stop US planes from departing without them. Hundreds of people ran alongside the plane as it moved down a runway. Some clung to the side just before takeoff. Back in the US, Major Tom Schueman was trying everything he could think of to get Zak and his family out.

Major Tom Schueman: I had a new full-time job that I was going to take on Zak's campaign and advocacy. I started with little gorilla, social media where I just put on Instagram a one-minute video that said, "Hey, here's who Zak is. He's served with the US. He is being persecuted for his service to the US and he'll be killed. Can anybody help?" There was a great outpouring of support both from friends and media and bipartisan support for Zak's plight. We found ourselves very central to the story as things clapped in Afghanistan. With all that increased advocacy, we thought we were getting somewhere.

We thought maybe his Visa application might get approved but even with interventions at the highest levels of the government, nothing could actually move Zak's package forward. What it took was personal friendships that I had formed that actually were the folks that were able to save Zak and his family.

Janae Pierre: Finally, Major Schueman enlisted the help of one of those friends, an air force pilot. Zak and his family headed to the airport a third time.

Major Tom Schueman: When Zak got there, the crowds again were so intense and the Taliban were blocking his route and we couldn't get him to the gate that you could provide the password. Because the crowds kept increasing, increasing he just said, "You need to send somebody out here. You need to send." somebody out here. It was not authorized for people to be going out into the crowds like that, but I had a friend who was a pilot, his name's Jared. He was in the operations center and I sent him a message. I said, "Hey, I need you to go out there and get Zak."

He is like, "That's not authorized. I'm in the watch." I said, "We got to do [unintelligible 00:10:18]. We've got to be always faithful, and we've got to keep this promise to my friend. If you don't go and get his family, they're going to be killed. He grabbed some PJs and the pararescue men from the airforce special forces. They went and they jumped the gate, pushed the Taliban back, and these guys grabbed Zak and his children and pulled him in. Even then it was still harrowing because I had sent him a picture of Zak and Zak's family, and the message between me, him, and Zak. He goes, "Zak put your son with the blue shirt on your shoulders. Zak's messages weren't coming through.

He goes, "Zak, put your son with the blue shirt on your shoulders." Then for over an hour and a half, no messages. That was a very susceptible about an hour and a half. Then I got the picture got him, and it was Zak and his family inside the gate.

Janae Pierre: For Major Tom, this wasn't simply about doing right by a former colleague, Zak was so much more.

Major Tom Schueman: His duties were simply to translate, and he did that well and very effectively, but it became almost immediately apparent that he was there to fight and serve as well. The Taliban were communicating on their radio network and he was monitoring it. He knew they were about to start an ambush in this village, and he ran through a minefield and tackled the guy who was going to initiate the ambush. There's a time where I had Marines who were injured, and he would pick up the rifle and hold security. He went well and above and beyond any of his duties just as an interpreter, and he became one of us.

He became part of my platoon and one of our brothers through his shared commitment and through shared adversity and sacrifice.

Janae Pierre: Zak and his family are now living in San Antonio, Texas. Zak is working in construction as he waits for the government to review his appeal to stay in the country.

Zainullah Zaki: The process and my case for the special immigration visa is denied. We appealed in March, and we didn't have a response again and still waiting for it.

Janae Pierre: Zak is eligible for a special immigrant visa. A policy the US started in 2014 to specifically aid Afghans who helped the US in the country during the war. According to the state department, they've issued over 34,000 such visas since 2014.

Major Tom Schueman: The visa program was designed knowing that people who served with the US would be persecuted for that service. To provide those assurances that said, "We know that the Taliban is going to hunt you, but we'll do something to make sure that we keep you safe," is the whole reason that program was structured. We're not asking for anything special or an exception. It's just asking to honor the contract and the promise that we made. It's important because we're going to continue to need our allies. We need to do what we tell them we're going to do. Hopefully, we're able to learn some lessons and avoid some of the mistakes.

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Janae Pierre: According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 76,000 Afghans left in August 2021 and have resettled in the US, but tens of thousands of Afghan allies were left behind. A February 2022 report from the Association of Wartime Allies estimated that about 78,000 Afghans who had assisted the US effort and applied for special immigrant visas were left behind when US forces evacuated, although DHS says that number is lower. Not everyone had the support of someone like Major Tom Schueman who was determined to rescue his friend.

Major Tom Schueman: Overall, what was successful is tapping into a shared humanity that people care and that it doesn't matter which party you're in or what religion. This all bridges the gap between all that, and it's about a shared humanity, and it's about being a good friend, and keeping your promises. I think that's really what resonated with everybody in this story. I'm privileged just to be able to play a small part in it.

Zainullah Zaki: I really appreciate my brother Tom his struggle, for rescuing our life. Also, I appreciate the US government who make the [unintelligible 00:14:36] take us out from the risk and they keep us here in United States and give us the opportunity to stay here and keep my family safe and my life safe. I appreciate that.

Janae Pierre: Our thanks to Major Tom Schueman of the US Marine Corp and Zainullah Zaki, his interpreter in the Afghan war. By the way, the day before we recorded this interview, Zak and his wife welcomed a baby girl into their family. We're wishing them all the best.

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Janae Pierre: All right y'all, it's been fun being with you today in the chair. Melissa is back with you on Monday, but hopefully, I'll see you again soon. Hey, check me out on WNYC's consider this podcast as well. On Twitter I'm @missjanaepierre. Also, if you missed anything today or want to listen back again, check out our Takeaway podcast feed anywhere you get your podcast. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Janae Pierre in for MHP, and this is The Takeaway.

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