The second in a series on Being Kind, Always at MyTakeByTamara.com.

“Be kind, always” is typically viewed as an individual effort but kindness can also occur at a national level. The United States is lacking, significantly, in its efforts to be kind to many Iraqi and Afghani translators who helped our military efforts in their home countries. These translators went well beyond being kind to American service men and women and their efforts often endangered their lives and the lives of their families. America owes them a great deal more than kindness.

In a nutshell, while a law was passed in 2008 to provide US visas for these translators, the law has come close to expiring at least once and another deadline is approaching. Many translators are bogged down in the bureaucratic visa process, filling out form after form and then waiting, waiting, waiting to hear back. Meanwhile their lives remain in danger.

I first heard about the plight of the translators through Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, who wrote several columns about the issue in 2013. (Link here to one article providing some basic background on the law and its history.)

I was recently reminded about the situation by none other than John Oliver, whose 10/19 broadcast featured the story as only Oliver can do. His inimitable style of humor, sarcasm, cynicism and more humor does a wondrous job of bringing to light the injustice of this situation. I highly recommend you watch the 16-minute clip from the show (with a language warning in case that sort of thing bothers you). The segment includes a guest appearance by a translator who only recently made it to the US; his story is heart wrenching.

Finally, based on a recommendation from Rubin in one of her columns last year, I started reading To Be A Friend is Fatal, written by Kirk W. Johnson, an American who spent time in Iraq working as a reconstruction coordinator for USAID (United States Agency for International Development). The book is exceptionally well written, weaving Johnson’s personal story with that of Yaghdan, a translator he tried to help. Since his time in Iraq, Johnson founded the List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies, an organization that has helped more than 1,500 Iraqis find refuge in America.

Please take the time to learn more; several links are conveniently provided above and much more information is available on the web. (Google search, anyone?) Contact your Congressmen (Find Your Congressman and Contacting the Congress). Maybe the dreadful pre-election inertia will end next week and they’ll go back to the business of Congress. Look at the website for List Project to see how you can get involved.

Help our country be kind to the translators. I think it’s our obligation, don’t you?