News
Levitt Center hosts co-founders of No One Left Behind
By Emma Ritz ’20
April 13, 2017
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On April 10, the Levitt Center hosted Hamilton alumnus Matt Zeller ’04. Zeller is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and is the founder of No One Left Behind, a charity which seeks to advocate for foreign-born interpreters who worked and fought alongside American troops. Accompanying Zeller was Janis Shinwari, a man whom he refers to as his “guardian angel.”
Long before the two men met, Zeller describes how the tragic events of 9/11 pushed him to join the military. He said, “I was with my best friend at Center Town Mall and if he was here, he would tell you that he left me alone for ten minutes and when he came back I had enlisted, and that’s pretty much what happened. I walked up to the first person I had seen in a uniform since the attacks and asked, ‘Where do I sign?’”
Across the globe, Shinwari knew that the attacks would bring trouble and add to the chaos that had marked his life. Shinwari was born in Afghanistan in 1978. Soon after, “the soviets invaded his country. He grew up during the Afghan Civil War…He watched classmates of his die from very early on…but he survived all of it.”
The day their paths crossed, Zeller had become stuck on the road after one of their vehicles hit an improvised explosive device (IED). Several men were injured, including the group's only interpreter, and the men had been told not to leave the ruined vehicle so as not to leave monuments of failure as the Soviets had. Zeller explained that they were effectively given a “die in place order.” This dire situation became exponentially worse as the day wore on. A member of the Taliban rode up to scout out their position, and shortly after a man sent his daughters to go count the soldiers and report back. Knowing what was to come, the men began to dig foxholes, but soon they came under heavy fire.
Zeller described his relief at seeing backup arrive after hours of fighting. But this relief caused him to lower his guard, and he did not notice enemy fighters sneaking up behind him. Putting his own life at risk, Shinwari tackled Zeller and fought off the Taliban, although neither even knew the other’s name.
From that day on, Shinwari was Zeller`s personal interpreter and honorary brother. Eventually, however, Zeller returned to the U.S. The situation in Afghanistan deteriorated, with Shinwari being put on a Taliban kill list. Once the U.S. decided to withdraw the rest of its troops, Shinwari called Zeller, telling him that he was losing his protection but that he also could not come to the U.S., despite the fact that he had fought alongside American troops for years.
A petition was started, and eventually Shinwari was issued a visa, but the Taliban made a fake call to the U.S. Consulate, claiming Shinwari was a terror threat, and the visa was revoked. After intense media pressure, the visa was eventually reissued, and Shinwari entered the country with his family.
The family had only been allowed to bring a few bags and had almost no money. A news agency helped Zeller set up a go-fund-me, to get the family on their feet and help them through their first year. When Zeller went to deliver the funds, Shinwari said he did not want the money and started listing the names of the other interpreters still stuck in Afghanistan. After that day, the men worked together to help bring over all those who had been left behind.
This a moral responsibility, and Zeller explained how it benefits everyone. He spoke passionately about the mental strain on American soldiers who had to leave their interpreters behind. He also spoke about America’s reputation, and how it will be harder to recruit local populations to help the U.S. in future wars if they think the U.S. will abandon them to be killed when they are no longer of use.
Zeller and Shinwari’s story of heroism and judicial reform ended with a call to action. The visa program for translators must be reauthorized every year and is currently in danger. Furthermore, even though visas are not necessarily a limited resource, the government routinely refuses to give out enough to bring over all of the interpreters and their families who wish to immigrate. Now, the two men are organizing veterans and civilians to advocate for these interpreters, and they hope to eventually bring everyone over who has applied and qualifies for the program.