KPBS Midday Edition

Local Veterans Continue Work To Get Allies Out Of Afghanistan

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Andrew Bracken / Producer, KPBS Midday Edition

Published September 3, 2021 at 9:21 AM PDT

This story was published more than 2 years ago.

Marines process evacuees at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 28, 2021. U.S. service members are assisting the Department of State with a non-combatant evacuation operation in Afghanistan.

Officials say the U.S. is still working to help hundreds of former interpreters and allies get out of Afghanistan. In addition, private groups of U.S. veterans from the war in Afghanistan have been scrambling to help.

That includes the group #AfghanEvac. San Diegan Shawn VanDiver is one of the founders of the group and joined Midday Edition to talk about their efforts to assist translators and other support workers for the U.S. during the nearly two-decade-long War in Afghanistan.

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"You'd be hard pressed to find a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who worked with interpreters, that can't tell you a story about a time that that interpreter saved their life," VanDiver said.

Listen to the interview here:

Local Veterans Continue Work To Get Afghan Allies Out Of Afghanistan

#AfghanEvac project continues on after U.S. pullout.

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KPBS Midday Edition Afghanistan

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Andrew Bracken

Andrew Bracken is a producer for KPBS Midday Edition. He is also the producer and host for the KPBS podcast series "My First Day" and "San Diego Conversations," a collaboration with KPBS and the National Conflict Resolution Center.

See stories by Andrew Bracken

What do you want to hear host Jade Hindmon talk about on Midday?