DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AFNS) —
Everything was regular at dwelling, till the Taliban got here. Then the college closed, and folks had been crying within the streets. The information stated airplanes had been coming to select up those who labored with the U.S., who had been in peril. Everyone was working to the airport as a result of they needed to get out of Afghanistan. The airport was full of individuals, shut to fifteen,000, and many had been girls and youngsters. Some folks stayed there for 5 to 6 days, with no meals or water. The army arrived and my supervisor advised us that as a result of we had been serving to a tv station, they needed to take us with them to America. We went to the airport however cut up up when the Taliban started taking pictures within the air to scare us. I didn’t run away as a result of I used to be not afraid. Thirty minutes later, a big plane landed on the runway. More than 500 of us waited in line to step onto the aircraft with an eagle head on its tail, which learn, ‘Dover, 10186.’
This was the scene Zarafshan “Zaro” Mirzaie witnessed throughout her last day in her dwelling nation of Afghanistan throughout Operation Allies Refuge.
To date, OAR is the most important non-combatant evacuation operation in U.S. historical past, involving near 800 civilian and army plane from over 30 nations aiding the evacuation of greater than 124,000 folks from Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 14-30, 2021.
OAR and Operation Allies Welcome united a various group of army members, civilians and Afghan evacuees with the aim of finding and creating a non permanent protected haven that supplied shelter, help and important sources. But for Tech. Sgt. Ashley Majewski, 436th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron dental facility supervisor and logistics noncommissioned officer in cost, and Zaro, the two,311th Afghan evacuee to reach within the U.S., OAR and OAW supplied them with one thing much more sudden: Family.
Now, one 12 months later, they replicate again on the occasions that brought them together.
“Everyone was sitting on the floor of the plane, holding on tight to the [tie-down rings] that were near us,” Zaro stated. “It was very hot and hard to breathe. We traveled to Qatar … then Germany … and then we flew to Washington, D.C.”
Zaro recalled her first moments within the U.S.
“When we arrived, we were separated and traveled to different safe havens,” she stated. “My group was sent to New Jersey. Some families became separated, while a few people were screened for ties to the Taliban. There were many pregnant women, some even gave birth as we traveled. There were also many unaccompanied children. The military gave each of us a badge number, making it easier to identify us and provide medical care. They moved us into old buildings and built villages for us to feel more at home.”
Around the identical time Zaro arrived, Majewski deployed to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, as a part of Task Force Liberty in help of OAW. She labored because the safety cell noncommissioned officer in cost, coping with conditions akin to sexual assault, youngster abuse, underage brides and home violence circumstances.
“It was the best and hardest experience I have ever had in my entire life,” Majewski stated. “I was really integrated and spent all day, every day with the women: getting to know them, helping them learn English and preparing them for when they would resettle in the U.S.”
Majewski described the early days of OAW as organized chaos, as three villages had been created to assist the Afghans acclimate. One village had 30 tents, housing round 700 Afghans every.
“There were so many people, it was difficult to find who I was looking for at times,” she stated. “Many were afraid to talk to me, in fear of being sent back to Afghanistan, or losing their current accommodations. Women specifically were nervous to trust us and speak up, even to female service members. My job afforded me the opportunity to integrate more and become a confidante for many Afghan women.”
In addition to her major duties, Majewski opened a magnificence salon to supply a protected and empowering work atmosphere to the feminine evacuees, the place they might expertise what it could be prefer to work within the U.S. The salon was additionally the place she first met Zaro.
“She came to me after I had just opened [the salon] to ask if she could help paint nails,” Majewski stated. “She was one of the few women who came to the U.S. with nothing and no one, so we bonded a lot in the fact that I was teaching her everything.”
Majewski stated she, Zaro and 14 different girls labored on the salon. They had near 90 clients within the salon a day and needed to flip away extra.
“It felt good to provide a purpose for the women, while giving myself an outlet during a stressful time,” she stated. “I had lost my father the third day of my deployment, so Zaro and the other women are where I put my focus.”
When Zaro came upon she was being resettled in Texas, each she and ‘MJ’ had been devastated.
“I did not want to go to Texas alone,” Zaro stated. “But MJ told me that I would do well and to give it a chance. She was always supporting us and trying to help everyone that was working in the salon.”
Soon after her arrival to Texas, Zaro repeatedly known as Majewski in tears, confiding that she was experiencing harassment from a few of the male Afghan evacuees who had been resettled in the identical resort. The scenario finally got here to a head when a man got here into Zaro’s room whereas the cleansing employees had been inside and refused to depart.
“He would always come to my room and offer me things,” Zaro stated. “When the cleaning lady opened my door, the man came through and wouldn’t let me close the door. It was very scary, so after I spoke to my case manager, I called MJ.”
With her management conscious and supportive of the scenario, Majewski determined at that second that she had the sources to assist help Zaro and purchased her a one-way ticket to Delaware the identical evening because the incident. It’s been a resolution she hasn’t regretted, as Zaro has been a pillar of help for her as effectively.
“I couldn’t imagine not helping her,” Majewski stated. “After I lost my father, it felt like she filled the void and gave me a purpose when I needed it. In many ways she helped me more than I helped her.”
Majewski and Zaro presently stay together with their three canine, as they journey by means of the method of formal adoption. Majewski plans on passing her army training advantages to Zaro, who, after being impressed by the occasions of OAR and OAW, aspires to grow to be a nurse and be part of the Air Force. Until then, being one another’s help and household is greater than sufficient.
“I’m enjoying every single moment that I have with MJ,” Zaro stated. “She is the person for me that I always wished to have.”
