On this episode of Fight Story, we sit down with Azad, recognized abroad as “Mike,” whose life represents some of the extraordinary and unlikely journeys to come back out of the post-9/11 wars.
Born Kurdish in Baghdad, Azad was nonetheless a baby when the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq started. His first publicity to Individuals didn’t come from films, tv, or Western tradition — it got here from U.S. troopers working in his hometown, at a time when alliances have been fragile and the price of being seen as a collaborator may very well be deadly.
Pushed by curiosity, survival, and a need to grasp the forces shaping his nation, Azad taught himself English one phrase at a time. That dedication led him to grow to be a U.S. army interpreter, the place he served shoulder-to-shoulder with a few of America’s most elite fight items, together with the a hundred and first Airborne Division, 82nd Airborne Division, Marine Particular Operations, and a number of Navy SEAL groups — typically in probably the most harmful and distant areas of Iraq.
His service earned him a Particular Immigrant Visa (SIV), a uncommon pathway granted to overseas nationals who risked their lives in assist of U.S. forces. However Azad’s journey didn’t cease there.
After arriving in the US, Azad did one thing nearly remarkable: he raised his proper hand once more, this time to enlist as a U.S. Marine, transitioning from interpreter to infantryman and formally becoming a member of the ranks to proceed to defend the nation he had already sacrificed a lot for.
At this time, Azad continues to serve past the battlefield. He earned his bachelor’s diploma from the College of Maryland, is at the moment pursuing a grasp’s diploma in cybersecurity on the College of San Diego, and works with the nonprofit No One Left Behind, advocating for interpreters and wartime allies who stood with U.S. forces and now search security, recognition, and assist.
This dialog explores struggle, loyalty, identification, immigration, service, and sacrifice, and asks a deeper query: What does it imply to belong to a nation you have been prepared to die for lengthy earlier than you have been allowed to name it residence?
🔗 Join with Azad “Mike” Sleigher
I/G: @azadsleigher
LinkedIn: Azad Sleigher
Web site:
To study extra about No One Left Behind go to https://www.nooneleft.org/
🔗 Discover AJ On-line:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/
Private Web site & Guide Pre-Order (“Darkhorse”): https://www.ajpasciuti.com/
Fight Story Podcast (Half 1 – USMC Sniper & Pressure Recon in Fallujah):
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4aqnKAUUOCDmJZPWrMf9NZ
Fight Story Podcast (Half 2 – Sniper vs Sniper Battle):
City Valor Fb Characteristic:
https://www.fb.com/UrbanValor/posts/retired-marine-chief-warrant-officer-3-aj-pasciuti-recounts-being-in-the-middle-/602000529075284/
DVIDS Video on Infantry Marine Course:
https://www.nationalguard.mil/Management/Joint-Employees/Comptroller/Innovation/?dvpTag=imc&videoid=790758
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