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In addition to her petition encouraging Syracuse University to offer scholarships to Afghan refugees, Madi Messare decided more needed to be done.

As chair of the opportunity board of Stalwart Battalion, SU’s Army ROTC training corps, Messare wanted to make a difference in an area that she was passionate about. After she had a discussion with Lt. Col. Jennifer Gotie, head of the university’s ROTC program, Messare decided to start a donation drive as well as the petition.

“We want to start a donation drive and give to these refugees, because a lot of them here have nothing but the clothes on their backs,” Messare said. “It’s our duty as a community to start collecting donations and support operations.”

The donation drive is open to all students. Donation boxes located in the National Veterans’ Resource Center until Oct. 22.

Messare decided to work in collaboration with Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey (colloquially known as Fort Dix), which is one of eight U.S. military facilities designated to house Afghan refugees.

The U.S. evacuated diplomats from its embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, after Taliban fighters entered the capital in the absence of the country’s president. The last U.S. forces left the country on Aug. 30, a swift exit after a war that had lasted almost two decades.

As of Oct. 3, roughly 53,000 Afghans had been living at U.S. military bases such as Fort Dix since the evacuation began. 

President Biden initiated Operation Allies Welcome in the Department of Homeland Security after the withdrawal to support Afghans as they resettled in the U.S. The operation designated Fort Dix to provide temporary housing facilities and medical screenings.

Gotie said that, in her discussion with Messare, the transport of donated materials from the drive at SU to an area that could properly utilize and allocate the resources would work well. Additionally, the ROTC battalion had already planned to visit Fort Dix for their annual ranger challenge at the end of October.

Gotie said that Messare’s plan and vision were rooted in her values as a member of ROTC and a leader on campus, and she said Messare responded eagerly to the opportunity to do the right thing for others.

“(Messare) is part of an organization that lives by Army values. We live by selfless service. And so for her it was a natural starting point,” Gotie said.

Messare said Fort Dix currently houses about 9,500 Afghan refugees but is preparing for the possibility of up to 13,000.

Messare sees the donation drive as a way to help people who are starting a new life from the bottom, and she said creating the drive is a moral obligation because many Afghan citizens risked their lives to support U.S. military efforts.

About 71,000 Afghan civilians were casualties of the conflict, according to a study by Brown University, and BBC reported over 73,000 Afghan or other foreign nationals were evacuated from Kabul by the U.S. in August.

“We need to realize that it’s our duty to help these people, they’ve been helping us for decades,” Messare said. “Especially these children have suffered, and have been living in conflict their entire lives.”

Published on October 19, 2021 at 1:15 am

Contact Richard: [email protected] | @richardperrins2