INDIANAPOLIS — A father can get some rest after working for nearly five years to bring his family to the U.S.
In 2021, an Afghan soldier had to board an evacuation flight out of the country, leaving his family behind. A long journey for this family, now able to live their American dream.
"My heart is beating really fast," Abdul said.
A feeling difficult for Abdul to put into words.
"I saw my son in 2022, and my daughter in March 2021,” Abdul said.
Tuesday evening, Abdul waited inside Indianapolis International Airport (IND) with flowers and his niece, watching Concourse B for two special passengers.
"I'm really happy now and excited," Yalba, Abdul’s daughter, said.
In 2021, the Taliban claimed victory over Afghanistan. Abdul and his family were preparing to evacuate. Because Abdul worked for the government of Afghanistan, he was able to board an evacuation flight out of the country, and his family stayed behind.
"We've been through a lot, and at that time, we felt like our future was completely unconcerned. But the magic happened, and it's like a dream come true," Abdul Jalal, Abdul’s son, said.
A miracle thanks to Matt Hall, who met Abdul at Camp Atterbury.
"Myself and a couple of other veterans that are here in town, we set up what we call a gorilla campaign, and we just provided help and assistance to him as much as we could," Hall said.
Hall heard Abdul’s story and started making calls to help piece the family back together.
"If you're over 18, they don't consider you immediate family. So, we had to figure out a different way to get his two older children here," Hall said. "And so, I reached out to a friend of mine and said, 'What about a student visa? Is that appropriate?' I said, 'I have this Afghan family that would love to come to college at Chadron State' and she said, 'Absolutely.'"
Hall was able to get Abdul's children enrolled in Chardon State College, with classes starting in March.
A goal that was already top of their priority.
"The first thing that we want to do is to look for some education because we've been away from it for a very, very long time," Abdul Jalal said.
"I came here and I was alone. It was hard for me, as a military officer, to leave the country, besides that, to leave family behind," Abdul said.
"I witnessed the moment that my father couldn't rest for days and nights, just preparing documents, talking over the phone with lawyers, and explaining the situation. And I'm so happy that finally, at least a part of his struggles came through," Abdul Jalal said.
"I am one lucky father," Abdul said.
Abdul told WRTV he is still working to get his wife, 16-year-old son, and mother here.
