(Photo caption: LtCol Michael Moffett and Fahim Fazli at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, in May of 2010.)
Michael I. Moffett, (LtCol, USMC, ret), co-author of FAHIM SPEAKS: A Warrior-Actor's Odyssey from Afghanistan to Hollywood and Back, shares his thoughts on Memorial Day in today's guest post.
Memorial Day is special. Among other things, it means “May.” It used to mean May 30, but now it's the last Monday in May, for convenience purposes and those long weekends. I liked it better when it was officially May 30—that being my birthday. There were always parades on May 30 to help celebrate. I always paid special attention to Memorial Day, and understood that it was a time to remember deceased veterans. Veterans Day is to recognize living military people. Many still get the purposes of each day confused.
Both days remain special to me, now a retired Marine Corps infantry officer, but Memorial Day became even more special in 2010. I was with the Marines in Afghanistan that May, and had met a charismatic interpreter named Fahim Fazli. A native Afghan, he'd escaped the chaos of his native land 27 years earlier. Fahim went on to become not only an American citizen, but a Hollywood movie actor who returned to Afghanistan as a translator. I met him in the volatile Afghan town of Delaram and was moved by his humanity and his love for America. He said he wanted to write a book. I said I could help and we exchanged business cards. We stayed in touch after we each returned to America and we outlined his narrative. We found a wonderful publisher who appreciated the military, Fahim, and his story's potential.
We spent a year working on the project and I learned a lot about my new Afghan brother, including the fact that we shared a May 30 birthday. When we finally completed FAHIM SPEAKS: A Warrior-Actor's Odyssey from Afghanistan to Hollywood and Back in the spring of 2012, it was time to celebrate with a book launching.
And it was no coincidence that we had this very special event on May 30 – our own Memorial Day!