AUSTIN, Texas — On Monday, Aug. 23, we introduced you to "Henry," an interpreter and U.S. citizen who worked with the Marines for seven years. We shared his struggle of trying to get his family out of Afghanistan.
"Henry" is too scared for us to use his real name.
"It made me feel sad for every second," he told us.
Austin area resident Jim Young saw that story and immediately jumped into action.
"Because of your news article, a friend of mine called me and asked if we could help," Young said.
"What we've been doing is paperwork, documents, trying to coordinate the massive amounts of information that these different departments want these evacuees to try and put together while they're fleeing. It's extremely difficult. And so from here in the United States, we're able to coordinate with laptops and Salesforce and encrypted apps to put these things together, submit them, and if they want changes, to resubmit them," Young said.
The West Point Academy graduate is one of about 50 volunteers worldwide helping people get out of Afghanistan.
To date, the group, called, Task Force Grip Hands, has helped 30 or so people escape by using encrypted apps, satellite maps and old-fashioned signals.
"A lot of our work is just relying on a network of information built by people who've known each other 20 years," Young said.
Young and a core group of six others are focused on "Henry's" family, working around the clock.
"Henry" is kept updated on every move.
"I see these people, they don't go to sleep," Henry said.
But after five attempts, Young and his volunteers couldn't get Henry's family out of Afghanistan.
Young explained why it made him emotional on the day of the deadline.
"I see myself in him. He's a combat veteran and he fought, and I was in the Army for eight years and I see a man just like me. There's a dad with children and I don't see a passport. And honestly, it really hurts me that someone who spent seven years fighting with my friends, translating for them, protecting their lives, he shouldn't have to ask for favors for his wife and children to pass through a gate," he said.
Henry is grateful.
"My family, I think, I feel, is like their family," he said.
Young and his group don't plan to slow down even though the challenges are now bigger than ever.
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