OPINION: Muslims are our allies in the war on terrorism

After I heard Donald Trump’s recent call to ban the entry of all Muslims into the United States, I realized most Americans never hear this simple truth: some of our most critical allies in the war on terrorism in the Middle East are Muslim.

I know, because I served alongside them overseas. And my experiences of the common bravery of these fellow warriors makes it all the more tragic that more Americans never hear about the heroism of our Muslim allies fighting and dying to destroy terrorists.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade parachuted into northern Iraq in March, 2003, shortly after the invasion began. When we hit the ground, the Kurdish forces — the Peshmerga — greeted us with cautious excitement. They hated Saddam Hussein and desperately hoped that the United States was serious about destroying his regime — but they remembered bitterly the withdrawal of U.S. troops after the first Gulf War, when we chose to leave Saddam in power.

The Peshmerga worked alongside U.S. special forces to destroy Saddam’s forces in northern Iraq. As news spread of the fall of Baghdad later that spring, the Kurds rejoiced. They continue to hope for an independent country of their own, and they are the largest ground force fighting to destroy ISIS today. The Kurds also happen to be mostly Muslim.

Two years later, the 173rd deployed to Afghanistan. When conducting patrols in Kandahar, much of our mission would depend on collecting intelligence to help us find and destroy Taliban insurgents. We’d also try to communicate with local leaders to build trust. Since we didn’t speak Pashto, we relied upon our interpreters — most of whom were local young guys who had learned just enough English to do the job. In addition to going out on patrol with us in dangerous areas, they took on the additional risk of being discovered by the Taliban and killed at their home while not on duty.

I remember one of our interpreters was a really young kid who adopted the name “Max” in our company. In September 2005, Max was shot in the thigh during an ambush of one of our company’s platoons. I’ll never forget visiting him at the aid station at the Kandahar air base along with another soldier who had been shot during the same ambush. He was in critical condition, but somehow managed to smile and joke around anyway. Max — like nearly all of our other interpreters — was a Muslim.

Around that same time one of my closest friends — Derek — was shot and killed by Taliban insurgents during a raid. Derek served as a Fire Support Officer in an infantry company tasked with hunting down Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan. Derek also spent a lot of time working with the locals on civil affairs projects. Some of the Afghans who knew him well came to his memorial service. They were greeted by Derek’s fellow soldiers as close friends. And they wept for him just as we did. They wept as if he was their son. They were all Muslims.

When Trump implies all Muslims are potential terrorists, he’s speaking out of ignorance and impugning the honor of some of the most important allies we have in our fight against extremists overseas. He’s insulting people who have sacrificed a tremendous amount to work with us to root out this terrible cancer of Islamic extremism. Fortunately, Trump’s message has been criticized and disavowed by Republicans, Democrats and independents alike.

To help highlight the absurdity of Trump’s racist and ignorant message, I invite other veterans who have experience fighting alongside Muslims while serving overseas to speak up and share their stories. Only by standing together will we make clear that patriotism, service, and common values are bigger than fear and hatred.

Andrew Person, a Missoula Democrat, represents House District 96 in the Montana Legislature. He is an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran and a fellow with the Truman National Security Project.