America


zones before fi nally reaching a safe house. They were evacuated to Abu Dhabi. After assisting an elderly Afghan


LEGEND The soldier in uniform at age 17. Right, four-star Gen. Joseph Votel with Legend at the 2022 BENS Eisenhower Awards.


Catholic couple cross the border into Pakistan, he was caught and ques- tioned by the Taliban. The terrorists accused him of being a human smug- gler, but he convinced them he was merely smuggling cigarettes. Though the rescues are dangerous,


Legend of Kabul S


Fearless U.S. vet stays on ground in Afghanistan to help Americans still trapped by Taliban. BY MARISA HERMAN


till on the ground in Afghanistan 15 months after the disastrous U.S. pullout, one Afghan-American vet-


eran has become “Legend.” The former U.S. Army staff ser-


geant, who goes by the call sign Leg- end, says he’s committed to staying inside the war-torn country as long as it takes to get those persecuted by the Taliban to safety. Since the terror group regained con-


trol of Afghanistan before the August 2021 American withdrawal, Legend has worked to protect hundreds of trapped Afghans, some of whom have U.S. citizenship or green cards, or worked closely with U.S. forces, as well as religious minorities. What started as a frustrating mis-


sion to save his own family from the Taliban has turned into countless dangerous operations to help others. As soon as Kabul fell, he knew his


family, including his niece, a promi- nent anti-Taliban journalist, would be in peril. He reached out to every contact he


had, urging them to get to his family before the Taliban did. Legend came to America at age 9


with a relative, just days before the terrorist attacks on 9/11. He became a U.S. soldier at 17. Before he knew it, he was back in Afghanistan, participat- ing in numerous deployments until he was injured. He might not have gone back as


the U.S. with- drew, until his frustrations with the State Depart- ment while trying to get his family to safety left him few alternatives. After finally


getting them out of the country, he started receiving desperate phone calls from others. He estimates he has since helped more than 400 people escape. “It’s the American thing to do,” he


said. “It’s the right thing to do.” The rescue operations haven’t been


simple. In one mission, he helped a family


of 10 Afghan Christians, who had been beaten and robbed by the Taliban as they made a 12-hour trek through doz- ens of checkpoints and inspection


Legend hasn’t backed down from the challenge and leads the Legend Group, a humanitarian organization that pro- vides intelligence, medical aid, food, safe houses, and other support for at- risk Afghans and Americans. The group is advised and support-


ed by active and former members of the U.S. military, congressional offi c- es, and elected offi cials. Speaking to Newsmax by phone


from a secret location inside Afghani- stan, he said he’s witnessed “horrible” atrocities since the Taliban takeover, from interpreters being hanged to a shop owner being drowned for previ- ously operating a store on a military base in Kabul.


And more


than a year after the U.S. offi cially left the country, he still encoun- ters Americans in hiding. The U.S. gov-


ernment claims the citizens can leave at any time, but he said there is often more to their stories.


In one case, an American, who


could return to the U.S. tomorrow along with his wife and their 17-year- old daughter, is opting to stay because his older daughter doesn’t meet the criteria to leave. “What kind of father would leave


his daughter at the mercy of terror- ists?” he asked Newsmax. “They are desperate. No American wants to stay here. It’s heartbreaking.”


NOVEMBER 2022 | NEWSMAX 41


WWW.LEGEND.NGO


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