Political Quotes

“Last night, I was at National Airport awaiting Delta Flight 3395, 9:52 p.m. Shortly after 10 p.m., Janis Shenwari, his wife, and two small children emerged to be greeted by Captain Matt Zeller. They had been kept under wraps as they made their way from Afghanistan to the United States. There was just one television camera there to record this happy ending as Captain Zeller wrapped Janis in a big bear hug. It was a happy ending to a story with many ups and downs, all too familiar for those of us who had been working with the Special Immigrant Visa program to secure the flight to safety from Iraq and Afghanistan for those foreign nationals who worked with Americans as drivers, as interpreters, as guides. Janis was an interpreter who saved the life of Captain Matt Zeller in a firefight. He, for 5 years, has been stuck in sort of a bureaucratic limbo as Captain Zeller dedicated his time and energy to secure the release of a man he referred to as his brother. It happened--despite the fact that there was a false start where Janis had been given the visa, sold his possessions, prepared his family, only to have it revoked at the last minute--we think because the Taliban learned of this and leaked false information that he was, in fact, a collaborator.…”