Local veteran battles with Afghanistan years after returning home

Gull Lake resident and Master Bombardier Steve Stanford knows first hand the violence and fear that accompanies war zones. 

The southwest local has spent time serving overseas in Afghanistan. In 2008, he was posted at Patrol Base Sperwan Ghar, located in the Kandahar province.  

On July 31, of this year, Stanford sat alone in his garage, staring into space, when he received a message that he will remember for the rest of his life.

Noticing there was a message request in his inbox, Stanford opened his phone, and saw a name, that had previously been blocked out of his memory. 

It was the name, Shareef, an Afghan translator, who had worked at the same base as Stanford during his time in Afghanistan.  

“I opened up the message and a photo popped up,” Stanford explained. “It was his Dad. On the ground, face down in a pool of blood around his body. It was a desperate call for help. Along with that picture, there were other pictures of him posing with other Canadian soldiers to reinforce my belief that he was an interpreter who was being hunted down.  

“I wasn't following the news for quite some time. It was mostly depressing stuff anyways. I didn’t even know what was happening in Afghanistan. I was completely clueless on what was going on.” 

Stanford said that truthfully, he did not know Shareef all too well. While they had seen each other in passing, the duo never had to work closely together as Stanford worked independently with the combat team, and didn’t require a translator. 

“Shareef searched Facebook for any connection that may have recognized or known him,” he said. “I almost forgot all about him. I mostly tried to forget everything about that country. When Shareef contacted me on Facebook. He said ‘Do you remember me from Sperwan Ghar?’ I looked at his picture and immediately recognized the guy.” 

Stanford dove into research, to educate himself on the state of the country he once served in, all the while wondering what he should do. 

“I thought of maybe just ignoring his plea for help, or see what I can do to help the guy,” he said. “After all, he risked everything to help us. The voice in my head told me that I had to try. What’s a few emails? No big deal.” 

Stanford began the process of sending out emails, and inquiries about what he was able to do, although the process was not a smooth one. 

“First I began emailing my own MP for my area,” he said. “Then I started googling numbers for different government departments. Immigration and Citizenship was the second email sent. I told Shareef that it was the weekend and no one would likely return any emails. A few days went by and I never received anything in return.” 

After trying a couple more emails, with no response, Shareef informed Stanford of a man named Robert St. Aubin, who was trying to help people in Afghanistan. 

“He replied back after 4 minutes,” Stanford said. "He told me of another email to send information to. By this time, I wrote a letter of recommendation verifying his service to Canada. But first I had him send me a photo of himself with his thumbs up to verify it was him. I had no idea if it would make any difference or not. I’m no longer active duty and I never dealt with immigration before so I had no idea what I was doing.” 

After sending the letter, Stanford received a reply for him to send yet another message to another email.  

Frustrations were starting to build for the veteran, unsure of what to do next. 

Meanwhile, he was still receiving constant messages from Shareef, begging for help. 

“I finally got a hold of someone who stated they never had Shareef’s file,” he said. “Shareef already had his paperwork sent in. There was a disconnect somewhere. Why didn’t they have his file? I resent all of his paperwork, ID cards for each family member. I asked him to send everything to me just in case he lost it or had it taken away from him. Once I got that info sent back to them, he received an email with his invitation for his Biometric scan. "

The pair held out hope, as it seemed that luck was finally working in their favour.  

That is, until Shareef received an email, notifying him that the scan was cancelled, with no explanation as to why. 

Stanford, who was watching the news carefully, realized the situation at hand. 

Kabul had been taken, and the Canadian Embassy was shutting down.  

Feeling like he was the only one that cared, Stanford started to lose faith, but was still determined.

Stanford became consumed with following the news, and researching ways to help.  

"If anything, I was giving him hope that it will work out,” Stanford explained. “His messages were heart breaking. You could read the fear and worry for his family. It was very emotional. This was real life after all. Definitely not a video game where I could start over. I eventually found a guy who used to work in intelligence. I called him and he told me to get Shareef out of Kabul. He told me how to do it. It was to go back through Kandahar and head to Chaman border crossing in Spin Boldak.  

“I then had a messed up day. I was given this information that I was grateful for but I was conflicted. I didn’t know if I should tell him that and then something happens to him and his family. But then if I told him to stay in Kabul, he may get killed there. I didn’t know what to do. I began to write different government agencies again. Most of the same ones but no information given. Just auto replies. I even wrote the Canadian Embassy in Pakistan wondering if they would take him there. No reply. I again felt completely alone.”  

Stanford laid out the current options for Shareef, who decided to wait one more day before venturing to Pakistan. 

That same day, he received an email that there was a flight for him waiting at the airport. 

Upon arriving at the airport, the Taliban refused to let him in. Shareef was injured and almost lost his one year old son in the chaos. 

Shareef was fortunate enough that the Taliban did not check his ID after risking his life for a flight for his family. 

“I feared for the worst,” Stanford said of knowing Shareef was heading to the airport. “I thought he was going to be captured, tortured and killed along with his family. I thought of them all constantly. It was a life and death situation there. Not any video game. This was real life. I thought that I was not going to be able to help him and it would have crushed me for the rest of my days I’m pretty sure. I worked hard to keep his spirits up and give him hope. I shared information to others so they could help their guys. I didn’t do anything special. I really didn’t. I did what anyone else could do. I focused hard on the situation. I left no stone unturned. I didn’t want to live with any thoughts of what I should have done differently.”  

After receiving a message riddled with sadness and disappointment from Shareef after the unsuccessful trip to the airport, Stanford became enraged. 

“I watched TV, with Trudeau telling everyone how good of a job they were doing,” he said. “I could punch out the screen. A big joke. I wasn’t laughing though. I was just done for.” 

News travelled down the chain from another veteran that Abbey Gate was open. Shareef was finally able to enter the airport. 

“Shareef went off to Abbey gate,” Stanford said. "He texted me shortly after, ‘I’m in the airport’. I was able to breathe again. The weight off my shoulders was incredible."

After a month of being pushed aside and ignored, the two men had finally attained their shared goal.  

Stanford makes it clear how he feels about the lack of help from the government, expressing that he believes more should have been done for those who risked their lives for Canada. 

“They hindered the whole experience,” he stated. “Robert St Aubin helped get me started and I appreciate the work he has done. As for the rest of them. I have no respect for any of them. The red tape they created caused a lot of people a lot of stress and heartache and they should live knowing that many are left behind now because of that. I’m going to bed tonight knowing I did everything I could but they should not sleep."

Stanford strongly believes that Canada could have done more, as he states many other countries did. 

“They should not have sent emails to go to the airport when there was no way to get them in safely,” he declared. “That opened many up for the possibly of capture. Other countries took buses and got them there safely. Canada should have done the same. Canada got in their own way on this one, complicated paperwork wasn’t needed. This is the biggest disaster I’ve seen. If this is the best they can do then I don’t have much faith in this current government.” 

Shareef and his family are now renting a house in Richmond Hill, Ontario and Shareef just started a job working construction. 

Stanford says that the relief he felt knowing that Shareef and his family were safe was a feeling unlike any other. 

“The feeling is overwhelming," he said. “I think often of the women and girls who have no rights over there now. Shareef brought his three children, wife, and mother-in-law here. Those kids, and their kids and so on, for generations to come can live a good life here. I think of that and it makes me happy knowing that.”