US military base must make 13,000 evacuees feel at home

On Thursday, the U.S. government allowed reporters to enter Fort McCoy for the first time, providing an organized and brief glimpse into the lives of the evacuees.

Adult Afghans, mostly men – some in traditional clothes, others in Western clothes – walked through the grass inside a fenced perimeter or walked the streets that connect barracks built there decades. Children played soccer or Frisbee in the grassy areas. US military police roamed the streets like cops on the spot, turning over waves and salutes from the people sitting on the barracks’ steps.

Sameer Amini previously worked at the Kabul Embassy and arrived in the United States about a month ago with his wife and two children.

“We have a place to sleep, we have toiletries, we have hygiene, medical care, food,” he said. “Obviously it’s not a house, but as a temporary home, as a staging area, we have everything we say we should have. “

In other buildings, children cut construction paper in an activity zone while others took English lessons in a mixed classroom. Older boys and young men carried plastic bags full of boxed meals to their family’s barracks.

Fort McCoy is home to the largest number of Afghans among the eight US military bases that are handling tens of thousands of Afghans who fled their country after the Taliban takeover. Many of those at the base had worked with US forces or diplomats and brought their families with them. Some had fought alongside US forces as Afghan National Army soldiers.

Despite the experience of American soldiers deployed in Afghanistan and Afghans who worked with Americans, however, some cultural misunderstandings have arisen.

In August, the soldiers at Fort McCoy and the Afghans were confused and upset by the hygienic practices. Each toilet on the base was Western style, with a seat and toilet paper. But a number of Afghans are used to toilets that allow them to squat so they don’t have to physically touch the toilet. This has led to some cases of Afghans relieving themselves outside, soldiers, aid workers and Afghans say

Instead of renovating or building a Turkish toilet, Americans told Afghans about the ownership and ubiquity of western toilets, base officials said. All the toilets on the base remain western in style.

At the start of the resettlement effort, a contractor running the food hall served shrimp for meals, a food unknown to many Afghans. They didn’t eat it, military officials said.

Afghans at the base complained about long queues for food before officials streamlined the process with color-coded wristbands and meal cards to make sure people didn’t come back several times. file and were hoarding food, according to base officials.

Comments came from individual Afghans approaching soldiers to voice their complaints, but also through shuras or formal meetings of elders representing the community. Senior US military officers with combat experience in Afghanistan have been appointed mayors to help resolve issues and make changes, according to base officials.

The prawns have disappeared, just like the American rice, exchanged for basmati rice. New spices, hummus and dates have been added to the dining room menu. Everything is halal certified, according to Col. Jennifer McDonough.

Base leaders built clotheslines near buildings for Afghans who wanted to hand wash their laundry, after a number of them arrived with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing. Base officials said not all of the evacuees went to the clothing donation center, a process that involves transporting them by bus from the base to the warehouses.

As Wisconsin’s winter approaches, there is no schedule for processing evacuees’ documents and relocating them, according to base officials and Afghans. Much of this is beyond the purview of the military, depending instead on the departments of state and homeland security.

“We don’t know exactly about this, like how long it will take, no one has an answer for that,” said Nasir Ahmad, a US military interpreter awaiting final processing for a visa and work permit. .

Some Afghans hope to complete paperwork and leave the base before the cold sets in and have refused to accept winter boots from the donation center, soldiers at the warehouse say. The soldiers urged the evacuees to take the boots, just to be safe.

In Fort Pickett, Va., Abdul, who worked for the U.S. Embassy and requested that her full name not be released for security reasons, says his wife recently gave birth to their third child and that officials at the Virginia base were unable to provide them with a cradle.

The United States also lost their baggage, he said. As a result, the family was forced to wear the same set of clothes for weeks. When his wife gave birth about 10 days ago, relatives came to the hospital and delivered a bag of clothes for the family. They couldn’t deliver the clothes to the base because there was no way to get personal deliveries, he said.

While Abdul has asked to leave the base and stay with relatives in California, authorities refuse to let them go until the family can be officially resettled, a process which Abdul says could take weeks. even months.

“We are happy,” he said, “we remain patient. “

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but U.S. officials have previously said that if Afghans leave early, they would be required to forgo federal benefits.

A logistical hurdle ahead is that the military effort is operating in tandem with aid groups, such as the American Red Cross, which ended operations on September 30.

The resettlement effort is led by the Department of Homeland Security, but the military is largely responsible for providing federal manpower and logistics.

While the federal government provides shelter and food, a significant amount of clothing, toiletries and other support has come from the American Red Cross, whose departure leaves the government scrambling to fill the shortages of personnel and procurement at bases across the country, according to people familiar with the effort and internal DHS emails reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.

In Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, the local DHS coordinator said in an email a few days before the Red Cross prepared to leave: “We don’t know who will step in to cover their 24/7 response. 7 as well as approx. 80 people.

“Anything that involves ensuring the well-being and safety of Afghan nationals, we make sure that is provided for,” a DHS spokesperson said in an interview, adding that donations from the public and groups exteriors helped the effort. The spokesperson said the resettlement effort involved a “whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach”.

In Fort McCoy, the Save Our Allies volunteer group served many Red Cross functions. Another group of volunteers, Team Rubicon, has been a part of the effort since its inception and will remain so.

The federal government has asked hundreds of volunteers to take over the Red Cross effort, which has provided some 800 people of support since the start of the mission.

“This temporary support was intended to be a bridge, providing emergency care to families until long-term, sustained support for evacuees can be put in place,” the spokeswoman said. Red Cross Jenelle Eli in an email.

—Jessica Donati in Washington contributed to this article.

Write to Ben Kesling at [email protected]