The Foreign Service Journal, March 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2022 45 But there was a problem. We couldn’t just send a group of document packets by email down to Kabul and say, “Here’s a bunch of folks to rescue; good luck with that.” So I said to the colonel, my rank equivalent in the DoD: “We’re going to have to rank order them.” Silence. Me again, informed by my two tours in State Ops and countless hours working task forces: “Kabul needs to be spoon-fed; we have to rank order these packets so they know who to go for first.” “Yes, OK.” Temperature check to my team, who had stayed in the room with me without asking, only because they knew they should. We all agreed. “OK,” I said to the team. “Who’s out first?” With clear eyes and a full heart knowing the importance of get- ting this right for the U.S. government and the lives of this particu- larly in-danger group, I am proud that our efforts saved Afghan heroes who have been mentors and role models to hundreds of Afghan and U.S. airmen in the last 20 years. I hope to be able to shake their hands one day and see how all the babies in photos from the email packets continue smiling as they grow up in peace. Alexis Sullivan, the counselor for public affairs at U.S. Embassy Tash- kent, was acting deputy chief of mission there during the Afghanistan evacuation. She has served in Sri Lanka, Russia, Pakistan and Costa Rica, and had several tours in Washington, D.C., including as watch officer and senior watch officer in the State Department Operations Center. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessar- ily reflect those of the Department of State. U.S. LANDING POINTS/ PHILADELPHIA & DULLES Bravery in the Face of Tragedy DULLES EXPO CENTER, VIRGINIA Mike Junge In one capacity or another as a contracting officer, I was with the USAID/Afghanistan mission for 4 1/2 years (2006-2010). When the call came for volunteers, which just so happened to coincide with my leave in the United States, there was no question that I would step up. I take away many impressions, but first and foremost is the resilience of the Afghan people. Bone-weary and facing an unknown future, and with great stress written on their faces, they were also quick to smile and give a heartfelt thank you for even the smallest of gestures (e.g., a candy or toy for their children, an offer to carry their bags, assistance in directing them to the correct location). My other impression is just the massive scale of the operation at the Dulles International Airport location. Every time I arrived at the “Dulles Center” (the special section at Dulles airport), it was impressive to see the complicated logistical aspects of the operation. As an outsider looking in, you would never know of the logistics in moving so many people, particularly during a pandemic. But it was highly complex, because essentially over- night, the U.S. government set up brand-new airlines with all the complications of passport control, COVID-19 testing, ticketing Afghan Air Force evacuees wave farewell to Embassy Tashkent staff at Termez Airport, Uzbekistan, in August 2021. UKTIRBEKTADJIMOV