Travis Peterson is an Air Force Veteran who served 21 years in active duty, and was a contractor for four years. He knew that America’s withdrawal would result in the loss of thousands of Afghans who have helped NATO and U.S. forces. He says that these Afghan soldiers and contractors “fought until the end for us.”
Peterson formed the Moral Compass Federation with retired military veterans and private citizens. This group works together to rescue America’s allies from Afghanistan. Peterson spoke to There are reasonsDiscuss his achievements with Noor Greene
Q: Why was this a private attempt to aid the Taliban escape?
Q: This is a common question from all of us since the beginning. This is a question I have. It’s hard to understand how it could have happened. Even if you go back into March [2021]And they say “Hey! We’re going to close down operations.” But there was still no clear understanding of our activities. That was the disengagement that occurred from the top to the bottom.
Q: People often wonder why Afghan forces trained by America have failed to wage a war against the Taliban. How would you respond to their request?
A: Both the conventional and special operations sides of the military are available. While I have no fault with the military’s conventional side, they are not equipped to provide foreign defense. They don’t have the cultural skills to collaborate with and work alongside partner nations.
Q: Do you believe the U.S. has an obligation to return Afghan allies to the States?
Q: Without them, I would not be here today. They have battlefield intelligence that would save a million other people just like me.
We actually wrote it years ago to our Afghan allies. “If you help the U.S. government or a coalition, then we’re going be able to help you obtain SIVs.” [Special Immigrant Visas]”To the States”.
Since years, I have been working to obtain SIV packages for our allies. Every word you type just becomes logged and jammed in the system. Only a few men were able to travel to the U.S. using the SIV program that existed before evacuation.
Q: Can we help Afghans that have helped us out of trouble?
Answer: It’s simple. Biometrics have been performed on Afghan allies by us since 2007. They are included in every database. They’re vetted. Their paperwork is all there. Documents upon documents prove that these men are great. I know their number if they have passports. The state will need every piece of information I can provide.
These guys could be released today if we were able to designate them as SIVs or humanitarian parole. They don’t have the right to anything. Because interpreters are employees of an entity, the SIV process for them is different. My Afghan partners didn’t—they were Afghan soldiers directed by U.S. forces.
Q: Tell us about your experiences with Afghan allies.
Q: You’re allowed to be embedded in a force of a partner country. They are your friends. I’ve also lost more brotherly friends from partner countries than on the U.S. side. They are all gone.
There is no language barrier. However, understanding life works both ways. Their lives would be put in front of mine and my life would be the same. That will continue throughout my entire life.
This interview has been edited to be more concise and clear. Video version available here.