A gun on one side, a Marine on the other

PORTSMOUTH/ROCHESTER — If there was ever a man of two worlds, it would be Fahim Fazli, who endured years of Communist occupation as a child in his native Afghanistan before escaping to the U.S. as a teenager. His journey to America — and consequent love for what he refers to as his “adopted country” — is only part of his story, which he will share at two upcoming talks on the Seacoast.

Aside from sharing his experiences as a child in a country torn apart by revolution and civil war, Fazli will talk about his return to Afghanistan years later as an interpreter with the U.S. Marines. He will speak Monday, Oct. 16 at The Music Hall in Portsmouth and Tuesday, Oct. 17 at the Rochester Opera House.

“This country has done so much for me,” he said. “When 9/11 happened, I decided I had to pay back this country. I decided to go to the Marines and into the war zone to pay my dues for this country and my birth country.”

His objective was clear.

“I wanted to make sure no one got killed on either side,” he said. “I made sure I was making the right translations for the Marines, and for Afghan civilians, and the Taliban. I would polish the language the right way.”

In polishing the language, he avoided translating some of the incendiary tones that often marked conversations between the two sides, which he felt would have led to bloodshed. In describing the scenes in which he found himself, Fazli noted they were quite tense.

“I had the Taliban with a gun on one side and a Marine on the other side with a gun — I was in the middle,” he said.

In explaining how he kept his cool under pressure, he said he used his brain, conscience and belief in love.

“My great mother taught me that you can’t wash blood with blood,” he said. “We are all human beings.”

To a real extent, Fazli said he valued the lives of those around him during those moments as more important than his own.

“I was careful to my American Marines — they left their family in America to save lives,” he said. “Their lives and the lives of my Afghan people were more important … I just tried to use the right language to bring peace between these people.”

In his year of service from 2009 to 2010, there was no bloodshed or lives lost in any encounter in which he served as either interpreter or cultural technical advisor. Noting he felt unworthy of such an honor, Fazli said he received an American flag from India Company 3/4 for his service.

“I was crying when I received it,” he said. “I told them I did not deserve it.”

At his talks in Portsmouth and Rochester, Fazli will be joined by Michael Moffett, retired lieutenant colonel of the U.S. Marines. The two men met in Afghanistan while Moffet served as field historian for Marine Corps University in 2010. Together, they co-authored an award-wining memoir, “Fahim Speaks: A Warrior-Actor's Odyssey from Afghanistan to Hollywood and Back.”

“He told me I should write a book about my life,” Fazli said. “I asked him to help and he interviewed me numerous times. We found the best publisher. I look at (Moffet) like a brother.”

Noting he and Moffet have been on the radio and TV together on many occasions, Fazli said their relationship serves as a metaphor for the opportunities available nowhere else but in America. For Fazli, these opportunities include a career in Hollywood in which he has worked with the likes of Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper and others.

“I’ve been so blessed,” he said. “You are a gifted people … The foundation they put in this country in 1776 was the correct one. It is straight and not crooked and will not fall apart.”

Expressing an unbridled enthusiasm and love for the U.S., he said he hopes he can impress upon people at both his talks just how fortunate Americans are to live in such “a great land.”

“Do not take it for granted — that is all I ask,” said Fazli, who noted he would return to Afghanistan if asked again to serve. “I’ll never turn my back to [the Marines]. Once you are a Marine, you are always a Marine.”

If there is one thing he hopes people remember about him, he said simply, “I am Fahim Fazli living an American dream. Thank you, America.”

Tickets

Fahim Fazli's events 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at The Music Hall in Portsmouth and 7 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Rochester Opera House are presented by Veterans Count, a program of Easterseals New Hampshire, as part of its community speaker series. All proceeds from both events will go to the Seacoast chapter of Veterans Count. Get tickets at vetscount.org/nh/events/man-two-worlds-fahim-fazli.