Afghan refugees at Fort Pickett, Virginia, September 2021. (Sgt. 1st Class Craig Norton/Courtesy photo)
(Tribune News Service) — A group of local Connecticut veterans is helping to build a new life for an Afghan refugee family who risked their own lives by helping U.S. forces during the war in Afghanistan.
Nasir Tarin, a U.S. government contractor, his wife and four children fled Afghanistan roughly six months ago under the cover of darkness. Hiding from the Taliban, they took a flight to Pakistan and then on to Albania, before touching down at John F. Kennedy airport in New York.
At the end of that journey of more than 6,000 miles, three countries, hostile governments and dangerous terrain, the family found the veterans of Avon’s VFW Post 3272.
The family now lives in a quiet neighborhood in West Hartford.
The veterans were recognized with a citation presented by State Sen. Lisa Seminara, at BeanZ & Co. coffee cafe in Avon Thursday. The group meets there regularly and said the citation will be hung inside the cafe.
“You provided a deserving family with a new home, new country and a new life,” Seminara said. “I’m sure you changed the trajectory of their children’s lives and you made a huge difference. I’m very proud to know you all and I’m very proud of your endeavors.”
Last year, Avon VFW Post 3272 announced the start of its Afghan Refugee Resettlement Project. The mission is to resettle an Afghan family whose members helped U.S. forces during military operations in Afghanistan. Many former U.S. government contractors and their families are currently living in extremely dangerous conditions in Afghanistan because of their support of U.S. forces.
“When I was over in Afghanistan, we had to rely on locals. Not many of our guys can speak Farsi or some of the other languages spoken in Afghanistan. So locals went through background checks with the state department and got clearances and became contractors. They worked alongside us and we relied on them,” said U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran Christopher Bulko, VFW 3272 Junior Vice Commander.
Bulko, who served a tour in Afghanistan’s mountainous Kandahar Province in 2010-11, said that without the help of Afghan locals, his job would have been much tougher.
“We literally relied on them to accomplish our mission,” Bulko said. “In some small way, this is our way of saying thank you.”
The effort represents not just a moral obligation, but an opportunity for veterans to “conclude their own service in ways that can give them both peace of mind and the satisfaction of having helped those who put their lives at risk to help them,” Commander Tim Healy said in the group’s GoFundMe.
The local VFW post is working with the New Haven-based group Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services whose purpose is to resettle refugee families in Connecticut. IRIS provides financial assistance for up to three months and guides families through the resettlement process. Dozens of local volunteers and community members have joined in offering assistance and aid.
“The first family they tried to resettle had eight members, but the house we secured in West Hartford can only take six,” newly appointed VFW Post 3272 Commander Jerry Stinson said. “We have the children in school, we have interpreters, they have all received medical care and we got them green cards and driver’s licenses.”
Stinson said that they are currently accepting outside donations to get the family a reliable car.
“Transportation is the final hurdle because that’s important to have a job and become fully employed,” Stinson said. “In general terms, the process is they come here with the clothes on their back and nothing else. We provide them with housing, medical care and provide them the basics. After a year and a half or so the idea is get them employed, get them a bank account and get them self-sufficient. We then can decide if we want to take on another family.”
But the last few months learning to navigate the social, cultural and language differences between Afghanistan and the United States has been a challenge for the family. Opening a bank account, writing a check, going on a job interview and driving on the highway have all been learning experiences.
“Opening a bank account was very difficult because he has an Afghanistan passport, but that’s not recognized legally,” Stinson said. “We had to teach him how to write a check. Things that may seem basic to you and me, it’s all been a learning curve. Just imagine, for the last two years he and his family has been dodging the Taliban and living a secret life going from house to house. This guy gave 20 years to the U.S. government and supporting our troops. He and his family deserve our best.”
The VFW Post 3272 is looking for volunteers and donations for rent, food, clothing, transportation, medical care, household goods and other necessary expenses. Those looking to help may visit avonctvfw.com/donate.html.
©2024 Hartford Courant.
Visit courant.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
