The story begins with a warning that the main story will make the audience extremely angry at a donkey. The narrative then transitions to the topic of translation, highlighting the importance of accurate translation in war zones and the risks taken by local interpreters who work with the US military.
The story focuses on Sirach, an Afghani interpreter who has applied for a special immigrant visa (SIV) but is stuck in bureaucratic limbo. Despite Congress passing bills in 2008 and 2009 to provide thousands of SIVs for local nationals who worked with the US military, few visas have been issued.
The story then shifts to the application process, which is a 14-step process that includes filling out forms, submitting paperwork, and waiting for approval. The process is compared to winning the lottery, with terrible odds.
The story also features an interview with Muhammad, an Afghani translator who started his application in 2010 and finally made it to America three years and four months later. Muhammad shares his experience of being shot at and surviving an IED explosion while working with the US military.
The story also mentions Smoke, a donkey that was befriended by US Marines in Iraq and was brought to the United States. Smoke's application process took eight months, whereas Muhammad's took nearly three and a half years.
The story concludes with an interview with Muhammad, who shares his experience as a translator and the risks he took to work with the US military. Muhammad's family was forced to flee Afghanistan due to the Taliban's threats, and his father was killed. Muhammad's story highlights the bureaucratic challenges faced by interpreters who risked their lives to work with the US military.
The story ends with a call to action to fix the SIV system and extend the program in Iraq, which expired at the end of the previous month. The visa program in Afghanistan is also scheduled to stop issuing visas on December 31st, leaving many translators like Muhammad in limbo.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Accurate translation can be a matter of life and death in a war zone.
2. Local interpreters in Afghanistan and Iraq have saved countless American lives.
3. Congress passed bills in 2008 and 2009 providing special immigrant visas for local nationals who worked with the US military.
4. Despite huge demand, very few visas were issued; for example, only three visas were given out in 2011 under the Afghanistan bill.
5. The number of visas for Afghan interpreters who risked their lives for the US should not be so low.
6. Applying for a special immigrant visa is a 14-step process.
7. The process includes filling out forms, submitting paperwork, and waiting for approval, which can take months or even years.
8. There are currently thousands of interpreters with visa applications pending.
9. The State Department has blamed some delays on the applicants themselves.
10. The US government has processed refugees more quickly in the past, such as after the Vietnam War, when 140,000 refugees were resettled in just four months.
11. In Iraq, the visa program expired at the end of last month.
12. In Afghanistan, visas are scheduled to stop being issued altogether on December 31st.
13. Muhammad, an Afghani translator, started his application in September 2010 and finally made it to America three years and four months later.
14. A clerical error resulted in Muhammad's name being officially changed to "F. Nu. Mohammed", an acronym for "First Name Unknown".
15. Smoke, an Iraqi donkey, was brought to the US by US Marines and processed faster than Muhammad.
16. Working with the US military, Muhammad was shot at twice and survived an IED explosion.
17. Muhammad's family left Afghanistan after the Taliban kidnapped his little brother and killed his father.
18. If Muhammad had been an Iraqi interpreter, his family would have been eligible to come to the US under Category 5 of the Direct Access Program, but Afghanistan does not have a similar program.