Upwardly Global alum Shahpur Pazhman was interviewed for a TIME article that explores the deep mental health challenges confronting Afghan refugees in the U.S., particularly veterans who served alongside American forces. The piece highlights PTSD, isolation, and the limited support resources available to this community.
Shahpur Pazhman, a Black Hawk pilot who aided the American military in Afghanistan and later came to the U.S. with his wife and children in 2021 after the Afghan capital of Kabul fell to the Taliban, tells TIME that “we were feeling very hopeless” upon moving to the country. He wanted to continue his work as a pilot in the U.S., but ended up working as an Uber Eats and Lyft driver, a transition that made him “mentally uncomfortable.”
He says his family members fell into depression due to the stress of finding basic necessities and thinking about the future, and sought counseling. Eventually, Pazhman found work as a flight line technician in an airport—a post he enjoys—through an aid organization called Upwardly Global, and he now lives in Arizona with his family.
“It was hard for me to leave my country,” he says. “But I love America.”
Read the full article, “PTSD, Isolation, and Scant Support: Afghans Who Helped Fight the Taliban Struggle With Their New Life in the U.S. The Results Are Sometimes Deadly.“
Watch Shahpur’s story below.
