At the age of 18, Eid became the sole breadwinner for his family. His father had been a doctor during the war against the Soviets and was tortured during his six to eight months in captivity, leaving him mentally unstable and unable to work. Eid dropped out of high school before graduating so that he could get a job to support his family, working during the day and going to school at night. It was important to Eid that his older sisters were able to receive an education, as they grew up during the first Taliban rule when girls were prohibited from going to school. Eid’s first job was as an interpreter for the US Army. Sometimes the memories of the dangers still keep him awake at night. He recalls when fighting broke out after the capture of a US soldier: “In that week, I saw death in the eyes of every individual.” During his five years in service, Eid went above and beyond his role as an interpreter. A Major in the US Army noted that Eid “put his life at risk on a daily basis to assist US forces…He is a man of impeccable character and faithfulness. I trust him like I would any other American Officer or Soldier.”

In 2013 when the US started pulling out of Afghanistan, the US Army had less need for interpreters and began dismissing people. Eid was one of those people. Despite his five years of loyal service and testimonies from US personnel vouching for Eid’s character and sacrifice, Eid’s special immigrant visa application – available to Afghan translators and interpreters working for the US military – was ultimately rejected. He is still waiting to hear the results of his reapplication.

“[I] thought maybe they don’t value [me] anymore, maybe they don’t value [my] service anymore.” – Eid Hashmi

When the Taliban took Kabul, Eid’s primary concern was for his family. He knew his past work with the US Army and USAID, and his current enrollment in a master’s degree program at Michigan State University, made his family a prime target. In those first terrifying weeks, Eid saw two trucks full of Taliban fighters pull up to his neighbor’s house and go inside for lunch. Until then, Eid and his neighbor had been close friends. But when Eid saw his neighbor chatting to the Taliban at length, he began to get nervous: “He knew everything about me. I felt like something was stuck in my chest. In these kinds of situations, you don’t know who’s your friend and who’s not.” After that day, Eid moved his family around constantly for safety.

Eid, his wife, and their three children joined the group of 121 Afghan evacuees in Albania that were awaiting resettlement to the US. Spirit of America provided room and board and material aid, and met other major needs such as healthcare and education for the group. While in Albania, Eid served as an interpreter for Spirit of America’s CEO Jim Hake, US Ambassador to Albania Yuri Kim, and US Representative Elissa Slotkin. Now that Eid and his family have made it safely to the US, Eid hopes to finish his master’s program.