I am Iraqi. I am Muslim. I am an immigrant to the United States. I came to this country so that I and my family could be free and become citizens of the greatest nation on earth. And I am a Donald Trump supporter. As you read my story, you will understand why.
My journey to freedom began in Mosul, Iraq, the city of my birth. I spent my early life under the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, a tyrant who impoverished my people and dragged the nation into catastrophic wars. I yearned for freedom – freedom like that enjoyed by Americans.
That day came in 2003 when the United States invaded Iraq to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein. I remember watching as American troops walked through the streets of my hometown, liberating my neighbors from oppression. That was the day I decided to help America as they sought to help my people.
It was not long after that I began working as an interpreter for the American military. Over the next six years, first with the military police and then with the Navy SEALs, I participated in many dangerous missions. We were making a difference.
I served with hundreds of soldiers from different races and religions. But one thing they shared was that they were all Americans. During my service with my new comrades I was never once was I asked if I was Muslim, and never was I looked down upon and never treated any differently from how they treated each other. I was their brother as they were mine.
Together we achieved victory after victory. It seemed to me that, finally, Iraq was on the path to freedom and a brighter future.
But it was not without a price. Many of my newfound brothers died along the way. They gave their lives for my country, and with their blood still on my uniform, I realized that freedom wasn’t free.
When Barack Obama became president with Hillary Clinton as his chief diplomat, it was clear they had no intention of protecting the victories their own soldiers had fought, bled, and died for. The Obama-Clinton foreign policy withdrew the military from my homeland and left a vacuum that was filled by the evil known as the Islamic State.
All to fulfill a campaign promise.
I was lucky. With the help of my American friends, I was able to flee Iraq before things got as bad as they are today.
In 2009, after years of waiting and trying to enter legally, I brought my family – including my wife and four children – to America so that we could enjoy the freedom that we should have had in Iraq. The United States is my new homeland, and I don’t want to see it suffer a long decline, too.
That is why I support Donald Trump.
Even though I come from the Middle East, I support his policy of temporarily halting immigration from nations and regions where the cancer of radical Islam has turned those areas into desolate war zone – including Iraq, the country of my birth.
President Obama and Hillary Clinton want to bring thousands of unvetted refugees to our country. But the truth is that it’s virtually impossible to ensure that none of these individuals harbor violent, anti-American intentions.
I know this because I worked with American forces to try to vet these people during the war. There is a reason that not even neighboring Muslim countries are opening their borders to refugees: they know it is dangerous. America has to take the hint: we have to be safe and we have to be smart.
America is always welcoming of immigrants who come to this country legally as I did. But the risks now are too great to continue to allow unvetted migration from this region.
My first service to America was conveying the words and thoughts of my fellow Iraqis to American soldiers to help keep them safe as they tried to save my country.All I want now is for one day soon to raise my right hand take the oath of allegiance to the United States and become an American citizen so I can continue to serve her.
I do not know if I will become a full American citizen before the November election. I hope I will. Then I can proudly cast my first vote as a free man – a vote to help Donald J. Trump become president.
Johnny Walker is the author of Code Name: Johnny Walker. He is assisting Great America PAC, which supports Donald Trump.