When U.S. troops began pulling out of Afghanistan last year and the Taliban began moving in, families and those who helped the U.S. military during the war were fleeing their country.

For some, like Jacob, an Afghan interpreter who helped U.S. troops for several years, the situation was dire. Even though he was now living in Texas, his family was still in his home country. Jacob is the code name used by the military for the interpreter to protect his identity due to the nature of his work.

To help Jacob, Summit Hill native Craig Strohl, with the help of Nesquehoning VFW Post 8008 and his special forces team, worked together to help the man who helped him years earlier.

“(Jacob was) saving up money to fly his wife and 5-year-old daughter to the United States,” Strohl said.

Strohl met Jacob during his deployment in 2016 while conducting counterterrorism missions with Special Forces A-team.

“Jacob was our interpreter and went with us on numerous missions,” he said. “He saved the lives of our team several times and kept us safe so we could return to our families. He was an interpreter for over eight years and performed his job admirably.”

Jacob was later awarded working status in the United States for his service to the Army and moved to Texas. He had been saving up money ever since to relocate his family from Afghanistan.

On Aug. 29, Strohl, the Nesquehoning VFW and Special Forces team helped Jacob reunite with his family.

Strohl said that there were a lot of expenses Jacob couldn’t afford while relocating his wife and daughter, so the Nesquehoning VFW, of which Strohl is the commander, donated $5,000 to a former special forces teammate overseeing the relocation.

“We paid for Jacob’s flight, and his family’s flight to reunite them,” Strohl said. “We also paid for additional expenses needed to process his family in the United States.”

Once Jacob and his family were relocated, the remaining money from the VFW was used to purchase necessities they needed, including furnishing the little girl’s bedroom, kitchen necessities, living arrangements and other basic needs.

“The VFW Post 8008 wanted to make sure Jacob and his family were given a good start to their new life,” Strohl said. “The United States Army, my team, owe him this for what he has done for our country, and the VFW was proud to be able to help. This is what veterans organizations are here for, specifically Veterans of Foreign Wars.

“This is why veterans continue to serve, especially Post 8008,” he added. “Our military term might have ended, but our service to this country is forever.”