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I know that I will remember the faces of Lt K. and Lt N. for the rest of my life. And that I will never forget watching their two coffins get loaded onto a C-208, draped in weary but proud Afghan flags. It was the first time I had ever saluted the flag of another nation
and it was more than deserved. Lt N. I had flown with several times. He was an eager pilot, with already broad experience, and a wry, humorous smile that always caught you by surprise, especially as you were getting into the cockpit. Lt K. I knew much better.
I had flown his first flights and watched him progress through his mission training, and was proud the day I gave him his Aircraft Commander check-ride, knowing he would be an asset to his squadron. He was very young, quiet, often pensive, with a nervous laugh, and one of the few
pilots who constantly carried his prayer beads. I will always cherish the memory, when, on a flight back from Helmand, he asked me to take the controls, surprised, I did, and there, as the sun began to set, he made a quick prayer, hands raised and eyes closed, in the helicopter.
He was newly married. I was the duty officer on the 24th of November, 2018. I reviewed his flight plan and the mission load, thrilled to see one of my students flying his second mission as an aircraft commander. Both Lt K. and Lt. N. were killed that day, on a mission to a
dangerous area of Southern Afghanistan. They were not only flying for their nation, but for ours as well. I had flown and fought alongside them for months, and had learned to respect their bravery, intelligence, and resolve. I understand that today is meant to be a day to
Remember those lost fighting in the U.S. Armed Forces, but not everyone deserving to be remembered was wearing our flag then they died. Both of those men are as deserving of being remembered today as any, because they died just as much for the United States, as they did
for Afghanistan. Today, there are no small number of similar stories, with courageous Afghans bearing the brunt of the fight to free their nation every hour. They were my brothers, and they are not forgotten.
برادرم ها، هر کس را وطنش کشمیر است!
