Photo By Chief Petty Officer John Pearl | 211214-N-YS140-029 Fort Pickett, Va. (Dec. 14, 2021) Army Sgt. Shafaq Yuhanna, 3rd...... read more read more
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It is U.S. Army Sgt. Shafaq Yuhanna’s last day on Fort Pickett. A half dozen giggling Afghan girls are huddled around her, anxiously awaiting to have henna applied to their hands. Yuhanna is a linguist and has been on Fort Pickett since late summer, helping thousands of Afghan evacuees as they prepare to resettle in the United States as part of the Department of Homeland Security-led Operation Allies Welcome. She is regularly assigned to 3rd Infantry Division, 269th Battalion on Fort Stewart. The jovial tenor of this day is a direct contradiction to Yuhanna’s first day here.
“I found a family with blood on their clothes,” said Yuhanna. “That was my first day. I checked on them in their barracks every day. I know how traumatizing it is.”
Yuhanna’s empathy to incoming evacuees is rooted in her past and present. She was born and raised in Pakistan and came to the United States as a teenager. Growing up in Pakistan, her family was directly impacted by conflict.
“When I was there (Pakistan), we were getting bombed every single day. I was afraid for my life. I tried so hard to forget all the memories, but after being with people who have gone through the same thing, I was really affected.” Yuhanna recalls walking her sister to school, and almost daily, rockets were lobbed overhead and exploding. She said this experience is why she joined the Army.
As one of few uniformed female linguists on Fort Pickett, Yuhanna was uniquely positioned to directly impact Afghan evacuees, especially women and girls. “Any time there was an evolution involving females, I was on it. I was always busy.”
Beyond serving in her capacity as a linguist, she also taught cultural awareness and fitness classes. According to Yuhanna, the well-rounded proactive transitional curriculum at Fort Pickett will contribute to the Afghans’ success upon resettlement.
According to Brig. Gen. Paul Craft, who leads the Department of Defense element of Task Force Pickett, Afghan evacuee successful settlement in America is a primary focus. “We are side by
side with our guests and are trying to give them a small glimpse of what it will be like to live and thrive in America.”
Walking hand-in-hand with Afghan children on her final day, she knows she will miss the evacuees, but is proud of her work here. “It was an honor to serve.”
| Date Taken: | 12.18.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.23.2021 17:02 |
| Story ID: | 411509 |
| Location: | FORT PICKETT, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 311 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Army Sgt. Heading Home After Helping Thousands of Afghans Find Theirs, by CPO John Pearl, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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