All About My Dad

He Fought For Your Freedom

Pilots land an Afghan National Army Air Force Mi-17 helicopter to pick up workers at the Afghan Air Command and Control Center at Forward Operating Base Gamberi in Laghman province, Afghanistan (Commons)

My father’s name is Abdulrahman Rahmani, and he was born on April 27, 1984, in Walian Valley. He is truly the best father in the world! He speaks Farsi, Pashto, Hindi, English, and even some Arabic (though I don’t think he remembers much of it anymore!). My dad has traveled to places like London, Pakistan, America, and other places he hasn’t told me about yet.

My father began his military career in Afghanistan in 2004 when he joined the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. He was a helicopter pilot! By the time Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in August 2021, my father had reached the rank of Colonel. Serving in the military for 16 years was tough for him, especially because he lost 36 of his closest friends during the war. He says that just thinking about the military makes him emotional and brings tears to his eyes.

One of the hardest moments for my dad was when the Taliban took about 300 people hostage, and he had to make a life-or-death decision in just a few seconds—whether to attempt a rescue or not. He decided to try and save them. Unfortunately, two of his team members died during the mission, which made my dad start to panic. If he couldn’t rescue the hostages, the deaths of those two soldiers would weigh heavily on him. They searched and searched but found no sign of the hostages. My father was devastated and ready to give up, feeling the pressure of how he would explain this to the Afghan government.

Then, something amazing happened. One of the soldiers ran up to my father, telling him he had found the hostages! My father was overjoyed. When he reached them, he saw that their hands were tied behind their backs and their mouths were taped. After safely getting everyone into the helicopters, my dad asked the soldier how he had found them.

The soldier explained, “After we stopped searching, I needed to use the bathroom. I went to a wall to take care of business and heard muffled noises behind me. At first, I thought it was an injured Taliban member, but I reminded myself, ‘He’s human too. I should help.’ When I went to check, I found the hostages instead!”

Because of that mission, my father won a prestigious medal! But even now, he still struggles with the memories of his friends who died. He often thinks about them at night, which makes it hard for him to sleep.

I love my father so much! He even helped me create this blog—I couldn’t have done it without him. Thank you so much, Dad, for everything! I love you!!!

That’s everything I know about my dad for now. If I learn more interesting things, I’ll make a part 2. Bye, guys!

Love,
Aqsa