Oral History of Jawaida Afshari

title:

Oral History of Jawaida Afshari

creator:

Afshari, Jawaida (1989 March 6 -

subject:

Afghan National Army | Female Tactical Platoon (FTP)

description:

Born on March 6, 1989 in Maidan Wardak, Afghanistan, Jawida Ahsari grew up in Kabul and joined the military in 2012. Her father was also in the Afghan military. Before continuing the interview, Jawida thanks the Sisters of Service for their help in Afghanistan when the country was unstable, because the organization was always available to help herself and other Female Tactical Platoon women when they needed support to get out of Kabul safely. She says she has no words to express her appreciation for that support and kindness. She joined the FTP after entering the military, and although she didn't know it existed at first, she saw American troops working with Afghani troops at a base and decided she wanted to work with them. Her whole family was supportive of her being in the military, and her father encouraged her work in the military to overcome obstacles women face in the country. She was excited enough to be in the FTP that she enjoyed training no matter how difficult it was any given day. More than anything she remembers that first and foremost they were a team, so even in moments that would be scary, she knew they all had each other's back. She then tells a story about an FTP-only mission they went on that involved climbing up and over several mountains before getting in helicopters to return to a military base. On the day that Kabul fell into the Taliban's hands, she was still on-base and noticed people running to the airport. She wasn't sure what to do and went home that night. The next day, the CSTs she had worked with over the years contacted her and asked how she and her family were doing, helping to coordinate the family's exit from Afghanistan. She had no idea for about a week exactly what she was doing and how she was feeling when leaving Afghanistan, and she will never forget how difficult it was to leave family members behind because she had to leave the country. The people she is still in contact with in Afghanistan and Kabul are not doing well, and tell her it is worse than before the US withdrawal. If she had stayed, she'd face those problems as well as violence, imprisonment, and possibly death for her military service. Jawida's son and brother also came to the United States from Afghanistan with her, but most of her family is still there. It was difficult for her to serve with men, because many were not accepting of women in the army. Many men told her that her service went against their culture and religion, and she got used to that in her time with the FTP. She feels that the collapse of Kabul that she witnessed impacted her so deeply that she wouldn't be able to do her work with the FTP with the same zeal as when she served before. She is incredibly proud of her service, her goal was always to serve humanity and she thinks her time in the FTP allowed her to do just that. No transcript of this interview is currently available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Gill, Dennis

date:

2022-10-07

type:

Moving Image

format:

Born Digital

identifier:

1358; 2022.1358

source:

CST - FTP

language:

English | Dari

relation:

NR

coverage:

Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan)—2001-2014 | 2008-2013

rights:

Unrestricted