Episode 446: A U.S. Marine Rescues His Afghan Interpreter

In August of 2021, America ended its longest war. As the world watched the shocking scene at the Kabul airport, Marine Major Tom Schueman fought—both behind the scenes and through a social media campaign—to get his friend and former Afghan interpreter, Zak, out of Afghanistan before he and his family were discovered by the Taliban.  In their new memoir, “ALWAYS FAITHFUL: A Story of the War in Afghanistan, the Fall of Kabul, and the Unshakable Bond Between a Marine and an Interpreter,” Tom and Zak tell the story of how they came together in Afghanistan’s deadly Helmand Valley, where they formed a brotherhood, eventually culminating in Zak’s harrowing, eleventh-hour rescue.  Newt’s guests are Major Tom Schueman and Zainullah ‘Zak’ Zaki. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.