Tell Us About Your 'Terp!

One of the most effective ways to rally people around this cause is to tell them true stories about interpreters, to show how these courageous men and women  not only made daily life possible for Americans in Iraq, but also became dear friends and mentors. Indeed, last summer the Washington Post reported that after a testimony on Capital Hill in which he described his relationship with his interpreter, Captain Zachary Ischol was told by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) that his words "had a profound impact on our hearing, and I believe helped his translator get to safety."  Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) concurred, saying that perhaps "1.7 million hearings would bring 1.7 million out."

We may not be able to have a formal hearing and testimony on Capital Hill for each of the approximately 110,000 Iraqi allies who have put themselves in danger to assist the United States' coalition, but posting your stories will show the rest of the country and the world that America stands with its own.  It will also, hopefully, motivate the United States government to take the action that has been so lacking in their response to this crisis thus far.

Please share your story in the window below (and if you know an Iraqi ally in need of immediate assistance, click here).  Note that while we welcome you to also sign our veterans' petition to resettle Iraqi allies or sign up for our newsletter, contributing a story below will do neither.  Please include your rank and status, or if you worked in Iraq in a non-military capacity, please include a few brief words about your role.