Welcome to Episode 43 of The Afghanistan Project Podcast,
where hosts Beth Bailey and Mikael Cook highlight the struggles of Afghans living under Taliban rule, and the efforts of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and political affiliations who have stepped up to provide support to the people of Afghanistan in the chaos that followed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Today’s special guest host, Will Selber, is a recently retired Air Force Lt. Col. who has appeared in prior episodes to discuss the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and moral injury.
Our guest today is Kate Kovarovic, the former Director of
Resilience Programming for the #AfghanEvac coalition. We’re here to delve into difficult topics that listeners and viewers may find triggering, so please take breaks and seek support if you need it.
This week’s conversation is about the demands that were
placed upon U.S. volunteers who leapt into the chaos of the Afghanistan withdrawal in an effort to help U.S. allies who were not airlifted to safety before U.S. forces left the country. We talk about the pace of daily operations and the life-or-death situations volunteers were ask to navigate, and the toll that this took on people who were trying to provide support.
Unfortunately, the stressful circumstances of evacuation
work created hostile situations for volunteers, who, without a formal apparatus supporting their needs, sometimes found the overwhelm too much to handle. Kate admits fielding 50 calls from volunteers expressing suicidal ideations, as well as one suicide likely attributed to volunteer operations, and an additional death from a volunteer whose health conditions were almost certainly exacerbated by the situations the withdrawal forced them to endure.
We spend the last part of our conversation talking about the importance of recognizing the efforts of volunteers, and creating a better system by which the government can leverage civilian support in future conflicts.
I am hopeful that government leaders are among the viewers
of this episode, and that they take these discussions to heart.
About the hosts:
Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations
as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow her on Instagram or X @BWBailey85.
Mikael Cook was an Army non-commissioned officer and veteran
of the war in Afghanistan. He was an active member of the #DigitalDunkirk movement to evacuate our Afghan allies in August of 2021. You can follow him on Instagram or X @Mikaelcook89.
Will Selber is a retired Middle East Foreign Area Officer who spent 4 1/2 years in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was an active member of Operation Sacred Promise and has helped relocate 100+ Afghans. He is currently the Millitary Affairs Fellow at the Bulwark. You can follow him on X at @AggieWill00
For Afghan listeners:
If you would like to have your story considered for a future
episode, please send us a letter about your experiences to our show e-mail address, theafghanistanprojectpodcast@gmail.com.
Please include as much detail as possible, and let us know if you would like us to give you a pseudonym to protect your identity.
