href="http://www.iava.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=315&Itemid=119">Todd Bowers, IAVA’s Director of Government Affairs, describes the fate of one Iraqi he worked with in Fallujah.

 

After US forces swept through the city during the second Battle of Fallujah, Said*, my Iraqi civilian counterpart, took the lead in establishing the election site that would be used by thousands of Iraqis during Iraq’s first national elections.

 

Soon after my second tour, I received the following email from a Marine on the team that replaced mine: 

"The night of 11 August 2005, Said was followed and executed.  He was shot 2 times in the chest and 1 time in the head.  It was a sad day, as he had become our friend, and we continued our relationship with him that you had established.  His family has left the city."

My friend had been assassinated by the insurgency, and his family, now left without a father and husband, was forced to flee their homes.

  

Last week, as a part of the DOD Authorization process, there was a vote on the floor of the Senate to improve visa processing for Iraqi translators and others who work with the US forces. IAVA was proud to support this critical legislation. And thankfully, it passed.  The bill eliminates the current requirement that Iraqi refugees must apply to the United Nations before our government will consider their applications, and it expedites the process for those who are in serious danger because of their association with the United States.  It also expands the number of special immigrant visas for Iraqis working directly for the United States. You can learn more about this bipartisan amendment here.

 

This is a great first step.  But we cannot stop there.  Protecting our interpreters is not only a moral issue, but also crucial to our national security. Counterinsurgency work relies on keeping good faith with our local allies; abandoning our interpreters would send a terrible signal to anyone thinking of working with American forces.  Todd will tell you, “I am alive today because of the sacrifices Said made for me.” It’s time we protected those who protected us. 

 

* Said’s name has been changed to protect his family.