No One Left Behind

No One Left Behind is a 501(c)(3)^[2] organization established by Matthew Zeller in October 2013. It seeks to ensure the U.S. Department of State upholds its promises of Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) to combat zone translators who worked with U.S. and NATO troops during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as provides financial and housing assistance to individuals and families who have emigrated to the United States under the SIV program.

History

In 2008, Matthew Zeller was deployed in Afghanistan where he worked with Janis Shinwari, an Afghan translator. According to Zeller, during a lengthy ambush in April, when Zeller had run low on ammunition, Shinwari stepped in and killed two Taliban fighters, saving Zeller's life and immediately putting Shinwari as a high-priority target on the Taliban's kill list. After Zeller's battalion had departed Afghanistan, Shinwari was left to fend for himself while he waited for his SIV paperwork to be processed. After extensive advocacy from Zeller, including direct appeals to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and a viral campaign that raised $30,000, Shinwari and his family were finally approved to emigrate to the U.S. in October 2013. When Zeller had offered Shinwari the money to help him and family resettle, he declined and asked that he use it to help other Afghan and Iraqi translators settle down in their safe havens.^[1]

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