Photo By Sgt. Elijah Ingram | Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson, the commanding general of U.S. Army North and the Joint...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, TX- Sgt. Simranjeet Lidder, a cavalry scout assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, stepped up by serving as the lead interpreter for the incoming passengers of the first flight of Afghan evacuees from Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport at Fort Bliss, Texas, on Aug. 21, 2021 in support of Operation Allies Refuge.
Upon their arrival at Fort Bliss an interpreter had to leave with one of the passengers because the passenger went into labor. This left a lot of work for the few interpreters that were left, but that wasn’t a problem for Lidder.
Lidder, who was born in Tehran, Iran, is fluent in Dari, one of the native languages of Afghanistan, as well as eight other languages. She stepped up to create a smooth transition for the incoming passengers.
“It’s not a rank thing, it’s not a duty- it’s just being another human,” said Lidder.
Lidder is not just an interpreter. Lidder says as of 2018, she was the first female cavalry scout on Fort Bliss and is currently one of the only female cavalry scouts on the installation.
Lidder migrated to the United States before the 9/11 attacks, which served as the catalyst to getting her to enlist in the United States Army in 2018.
“I wanted to serve my country, not for the pay or benefits but only for the pride of my red, white, blue and the uniform,” said Lidder. “I also wanted to discount the negative stereotypes that people have with Middle East-born individuals.”
Lidder doesn’t take all the credit either. She acknowledges that the effectiveness of the mission would be lacking if not for the members of her team.
“So far our team is really killing it,” said Lidder. “It definitely is a big honor and a pleasure to have the opportunity.”
Lidder wants the world to see the pride and compassion that the American people have.
“It means a lot to me,” said Lidder. “It’s a humble honor to be part of something this big, to know that I was able to make a difference in the world and for other countries to see that the American military, and America itself, has people that care and give it all they got with pride.”
| Date Taken: | 08.25.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.30.2021 18:56 |
| Story ID: | 404100 |
| Location: | TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 944 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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