Los Angeles, California – On August 15, 2021, the country of Afghanistan was collapsing to the Taliban and the United States was in the final days of the withdrawal of its military. U.S. Advisors ordered elements of the Afghan Air Force to fly their aircraft out of Afghanistan to neighboring countries to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Taliban. This meant pilots had to sacrifice their families to move lethal weapons out of the reach of the rapidly advancing enemy. The situation was deteriorating so quickly that many pilots could only say goodbye to their wives and children via cell phone.
Some pilots landed in Tajikistan; some landed in Uzbekistan; some were attacked by their own ground troops and prevented from taking off. A few more found their aircraft sabotaged and unable to fly. One Afghan pilot, a senior officer, was rammed by Russian MiG 29 flown by an Uzbek pilot. The Afghan pilot ejected with his back broken in two places and partially blinded in his left eye because of the explosion. A large number of Afghan pilots were placed in jail until their release could be negotiated.
Many of the Afghan pilots were transported to the United States and housed in refugee camps. In recent months, they have been released and placed in welfare programs with promises from the U.S. government it will try and get their wives and children to the United States some day through an immigration process known as reunification. Other pilots in the United Arab Emirates await transport to the U.S.
The U Foundation, launched by aviation entrepreneurs, Barry and Marcel Oberholzer, has been providing medical care and humanitarian aid to Afghans in peril since November. This week the U Foundation launches a ground school for Afghan pilots in the U.S. to get them off welfare and provide a pathway to commercial aviation careers. The ground school, funded by the U Foundation, commences with ten pilots in the first class, will run for four weeks, and provides an intense review of FAA guidelines and prepares the pilots for further testing and advancement. In addition, the U Foundation will be simultaneously submitting paperwork to the U.S. government to assist the pilots with family reunification. The second and third classes have already been identified and are “on deck” completing a variety of tasks to propel them forward. In addition, the U Foundation will be expanding to include aircraft mechanics in the coming weeks. It is the only program of its kind in the United States.
“The United States is facing a critical shortage of pilots. Our logistics and commercial travel segments are choking due to a lack of qualified personnel. Most of these Afghan pilots trained in the United States for years, speak fluent English, and have hundreds, if not thousands of flight hours, under adverse conditions. The U.S. taxpayers spent close to $43 million to train several dozen Afghan A 29 pilots alone – let’s get them all flying again.” (Barry Oberholzer)
Barry and Marcel Oberholzer are known for their accomplishments in the air and on the ground. Barry Oberholzer is the renowned author of The Black Market Concierge, a one-of-a-kind memoir and soon to be filmed as a streaming series with a well-known studio, which chronicles his infiltration and exposure at the highest of international levels of governments as a confidential informant for various government agencies.
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Company Name: U Foundation
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Website: www.upperwood.com