Thread by @shawnjvandiver

🧵 Leaving Washington after a fruitful week meeting with Afghans, @afghanevac team members, and government leaders from @StateDept, @WhiteHouse, @WHNSC, @DeptofDefense, @DeptVetAffairs, and @DHSgov.

We heard several positive updates from our colleagues in government regarding #EHC / TWC, process improvements at various points in the SIV and P1/P2 pipelines, and other good news.

We also heard some disappointing things we are still working through.

We will keep pushing.

This work comes with a lot of disappointment, so the good times matter.

Among the brightest spots of all of this are the interactions with Afghans and with the volunteers across the @afghanevac community.

The interactions this week were particularly impactful for me.

Spending time with folks (in and out of government) who have dedicated their lives to this work and have sacrificed so much is truly inspiring.

The meetings and social interactions this week were no different.

We are all beating our heads against various brick walls of policy, international bureaucracy, and sometimes less-than-helpful stakeholders on the other end of the table but we are all in this together and we have a shared mission.

We are all here to honor our promise.

Among the meetings, I spent some time with @WHCOS discussing the administration’s commitment to Afghanistan. We spoke about what comes next to ensure we complete our mission & honor the Americans who served in or toward the mission in Afghanistan & the Afghans who stood with us.q

Following that meeting I am hopeful that we will see the President demonstrate our nation’s commitment to turning the page on the longest conflict in our history in a way that honors our values and the ethos of so many who served in Afghanistan and those who stood with us.

We would be foolish to give further operationally impactful details but I will say that I am hopeful for the future of our work and that history will be told accurately.

But this won’t happen on its own.

We’ve got to remain tenacious and we’ve got to lean on one another.

To our Afghan allies patiently awaiting news: you have not been forgotten. We value you and appreciate your sacrifice. We hope to welcome you into our communities soon.

To the public servants all across government and the volunteers working across the #AfghanEvac community: thank you. This work matters and you are making an impact.