Afghanistan Archives - StoryCorps
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“I Needed To Reset My Life:” A Veteran Opens Up About The Challenges Of Adjusting To Civilian Life

Sergeant Alex Ortiz volunteers helping veterans in Puerto Rico adjust back to civilian life. He served in the Army himself, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan as a wheeled vehicle mechanic, before injuries forced him to retire in 2013. 

His wife Lixannie had never been close to a veteran before they met, and wasn’t always prepared for what their life together would be like.

Sergeant Alex Ortiz and Lixannie Ortiz with their sons, Roman Ortiz and Brian Cuadrado. Photo courtesy of the Ortiz family.

 

Top photo: Lixannie Ortiz and Sergeant Alex Ortiz at their StoryCorps interview in Mayagüez, PR on February 10, 2024. By Jo Corona for StoryCorps.

This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Originally aired Nov 8, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

For Those Left Behind: An Afghan American Marine Reflects On His Homeland

In 1980, Ajmal Achekzai fled Afghanistan during the onset of the Soviet–Afghan War, leaving his birth city of Kabul behind. He was only five years old.

The next time he would return would be in November of 2001. U.S. Marines were the first major ground forces sent to Afghanistan after 9/11. Ajmal was among them. 

Cpl. Ajmal Achekzai talks with two Afghan locals on December 10, 2001 at the perimeter of a patrol base in Southern Afghanistan. Photo by Sgt. Joseph R. Chenelly/USMC/Getty Images.

Twenty years later, Ajmal is witnessing the return of Taliban control. He sat down with StoryCorps to remember where he came from, the dire uncertainty of Afghanistan’s future and the love he has for its people.

Ajmal Achekzai with his mother, in July of 2001, at the Salt Lake International Airport. Courtesy of the Achekzai family.
Top Photo: Ajmal Achekzai at his StoryCorps interview in Costa Mesa, CA, on August 19th, 2016. By Liyna Anwar for StoryCorps.

This interview is part of the Anwar Collection of Muslim Voices and Tapestry of Voices Collection through StoryCorps’ American Pathways initiative. This initiative is made possible by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and an Anonymous Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Stuart Family Foundation. It will be archived at the Library of Congress.

Originally aired September 03, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.