Afghan war vet races against red tape and the Taliban to bring interpreter’s family to N.S.
John and Kara Monaghan have a busy life raising four children, but another family is never far from their thoughts.
John is a retired Canadian naval lieutenant, 13 years removed from a tour of Afghanistan -- a conflict which drew him close to his comrades-in-arms.
"It's camaraderie like you couldn't imagine,” he says.
John was part of a provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province.
Part of the job was winning the hearts and minds of locals by building infrastructure, like fresh water wells, in small Afghan villages.
That's where Mr. Jones comes in.
"He proved he was reliable and we just became friends," John says of a former interpreter whose true identity remains hidden because it could make him a target of the Taliban.
John says Mr. Jones did more than just translate.
“A lot of our information we got was through him. His personality, people liked him,” says John.
John retired from service in 2016 and the following year, he helped Mr. Jones move to Canada and get his citizenship. But PTSD and loneliness prevented a happy ending.
Mr. Jones moved back to Afghanistan after learning his mother was ill.
"She ended passing away as the Taliban retook the country," says John.
That was last August, a terrible month, which triggered John's own PTSD.
“It created a lot of anxiety in the Afghan vets,” he says. “I'm still dealing with it and it's hard.”
But John and Kara took action, lobbying and fundraising to bring Mr. Jones, his wife, his four older siblings and their large families to Nova Scotia; 35 people in total with a 36th on the way.
The Jones are expecting their first baby, which has increased the Monaghans' sense of urgency.
“We just want them here now," says Kara. “If we could just pluck them up … that would be ideal.”
But it’s not that simple.
“Red tape is the bane of my existence," says John.
However, good news arrived this week from Ottawa in the form of official paperwork.
"They're all basically approved to come to Canada now,” John explains, but he says leaving Afghanistan may mean dealing directly with the Taliban, which he worries about.
“Anything there can set something off and set in motion something terrible," he said.
The Monaghans have been in contact with the Immigration Services Association of Nova Scotia, which they say has pledged to help find housing for the family, and they say they’ve received similar assurances from Premier Tim Houston’s office.
To help cover the enormous costs of bringing three dozen people from Afghanistan to Canada, the Monaghans are raffling off tickets for a donated trip for two to Sable Island.
The goal is to raise $100,000, but so far, they’ve sold less than $5,000-worth, and time is running short.
“So close, yet so far,” John says.
Anyone interested in donating towards the Monaghans cause can visit here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Ontario reveals highest public sector salaries in sunshine list
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.