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Rep. Moulton shares experience of trying to get families out of Afghanistan
"It’s the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve never been more proud to be an American."
At a Veteran’s Day town hall Congressman Seth Moulton spoke about his experience flying to Afghanistan in August before the military withdrawal.
The idea for the veteran town halls was conceived by journalist Sebastian Junger, Moulton said, but it really originated with Native Americans.
“[They] recognized the value of warriors sharing their experiences with the communities they serve,” he said. “By allowing veterans the time and space to share these stories, we’re supporting the true purpose of this event: closing the divide that can exist between veterans and the rest of the community.”
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On Thursday, Moulton continued his tradition of hosting a Veteran’s Day town hall, this time in a digital forum broadcast online. In 2015, Moulton worked with Junger to put on the first veteran town hall in the nation in Marblehead, Mass. in the historic Abbot Hall. Now, town halls are held across the country, he said, and there’s now a push to create national infrastructure to continue the tradition.
Veterans, including State Reps. Jon Santiago and Jerry Parisella, were invited to speak about their experiences, and Moulton shared his experience working to get allies out of Afghanistan.
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“I am fortunate to be in a position as a veteran to at least have some influence over the process,” he said. “I haven’t felt like the White House has always listened to me, but I’ve been out there, I have a position on the Armed Services Committee… We’re pursuing over 4,500 cases in our office. Other veterans out there don’t have those avenues of influence, they’re just doing whatever they can to help their friends.”
Moulton said there was a night leading up to the withdrawal when he decided he’d get four families through the gate before dawn.
“By the time the sun rose on the east coast, I’d only succeeded in getting one,” he said. “After hundreds of text messages, WhatsApp and Signal messages, phone calls, talking between desperate Afghans outside the airport and some heroic Americans on the inside — trying to talk them through the chaos — I only got one of four, and I felt like a failure. Then this airman who had literally taken this family over the wall — this heroic Afghan journalist, his wife, and two little girls about the same age as mine — and he sent me a picture of them. I said, ‘you know what, it’s all worth it.’”
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Though some people criticized his trip to Afghanistan, Moulton said he was doing his job to provide oversight, as a member of Congress.
“We were able to help some of the many veterans across the country, getting some of their allies through the gate,” he said. “Marines had to wade out into this desperate sea of humanity…to try to find our friends, to grab them by the hand, put their kids on their backs, and literally haul them to freedom. It’s the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve never been more proud to be an American than I was at Abbey Gate.”
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