Canadian veteran reunites with former Afghan translator after a decade of effort
CBC
A small group of people slowly gathered in the mostly empty Thunder Bay International Airport late in northwestern Ontario this week.
They made small talk as they waited for the arrival Wednesday night of the man they all worked tirelessly to bring to Canada.
Passengers from the second last flight of the night trudged off the plane.
Robin Rickards, a veteran who served three tours in Afghanistan during his 11 years with the Canadian Armed Forces, stood a bit away from the group, waiting.
Finally, the man he'd spent years trying to bring to Canada walked through the doors with a smile that could be seen through his mask.
With more than a dozen family members surrounding him, Abdul Jamy Kohistany hugged his friend.
"Hey brother."
"How are you buddy?" responded Rickards. "It's been a long journey man. A long journey."
People clapped and shook hands.
"It is really an unforgettable moment," Kohistany said.
WATCH | Afghan translator reunites with Canadian veteran after years of living in fear:
After a decade of frustration and fear, the Afghan translator who worked alongside Rickards since his first overseas deployment in 2006 was safely in Canada, with hopes of living in Thunder Bay permanently with his family.
"I could never even think of this [happening]," Kohistany said. "We were struggling for years, [Rickards] especially, he was pushing the government to make it happen."
When Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan ended in 2011, soldiers left behind the local Afghans — including translators like Kohistany and other mission staff — who helped them navigate the country they had landed in nine years earlier.
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