CLAY COUNTY – The level of anxiety, desperation and hope increases every time the telephone rings at Con. Kat Cammack’s office on Knight Boxx Road in Orange Park.

Casework Director Dorothy Richardson often is overwhelmed by the daunting challenges of getting people from Florida’s Third District out of Afghanistan. When she helps navigate the difficult, if not impossible, release of another family from the threat of the Taliban’s reign, she allows herself a moment of tearful gratification before moving onto the next case.

Despite the political spin, Richardson knows the challenging mission in Afghanistan, particularly in Kabul, is all about

saving lives.

The third district, which includes Clay, Putnam, Alachua, Bradford and Union counties, as well as portions of Marion County, hasn’t been exempt from the turmoil that followed the withdraw of troops from the war-torn country. According to Cammack, her office already has received word from 187 people who are there and afraid, and don’t know how to get around the roadblocks and threats to get home.

And she fears there’s a lot more.

“People need to know there’s a tremendous lift on getting people out, getting out Americans out of Afghanistan,” she told Clay Today. “It’s working with DOD [Department of Defense], with the State Department, with private contractors with NGOs [non-governmental organizations] to basically piece together this giant puzzle to make sure we are doing anything and everything we can.”

Cammack’s office created a special tab called “Afghanistan Resources” on her U.S. House of Representatives website, cammack.house.gov. It’s a way for anyone in the district with family in Afghanistan to explore the available resources.

Her office released this statement to make sure everyone can get out safely:

“As the situation in Afghanistan deteriorates, I’m sending out this emergency bulletin to give all of Florida’s Third Congressional District an update on how we can help evacuate our American citizens as well as those with Special Immigrant Visas, I have also heard from our local veteran community that many are struggling with renewed trauma.”

Sunday night, Richardson helped a family of five escape the tyranny.

“Behind the scenes, we’ve had 187 individuals, Americans and visa holders, that are from our area that have been left behind in the country – that we know of. Those are the ones we’ve been focusing on,” Cammack said. “Dorothy Richardson at the Orange Park office ‘has been putting the charge on this.’ She got a family of five Americans out of Afghanistan on Sunday night. They certainly would have been facing death. They already had one of the sons shot twice [at] point-blank. They had a bounty on all of their heads. It’s been a terrible, terrible thing. There were tears of joy when they got out.”

The Congresswoman said if anyone knows of a U.S. citizen, family members of U.S. citizens or a U.S. military Afghan interpreter who’s currently in Afghanistan and needs help getting out, they first must complete a form at: https://digitalprf.house.gov/ReleaseForm?id=FL03 and email it to Dorothy.richardson@mail.house.gov.

For the Privacy Act Form, visit: https://cammack.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/cammack.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/privacy-act-form3-21.pdf, and for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Privacy Release, visit https://cammack.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/cammack.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/USCIS-OLA-Privacy-Release-Oct-2019.pdf.

Cammack said her office can only guarantee a relentless effort, not a positive outcome. But she vowed: “While we cannot guarantee the outcome, we are doing everything we can to help. We will not leave anyone behind.”

Like many, Cammack has been outraged by the events in the Middle East. She earned a Master of Science in national defense and strategic studies from the Naval War College, so she’s familiar with the policies surrounding war and retreat.

“When I was at Naval War College, it was maybe the first month or two when they started teaching us about war termination and planning and how war termination is how front and center when it comes to planning because it’s one thing to get into a conflict or a war and another to get out it,” she said. “When you look at the fundamental concept of war termination, and how this administration has really gone out of its way to undermine decades, centuries, of strategy, of war theology and logistics – things we have done for decades.

“Even those without a military background can see how lost this whole thing has been. It’s been very frustrating as a member of Congress, as an American citizen, as a family member of someone who has fought over there.”

Cammack also asked everyone to reach out to a veteran of the fighting in the Middle East.

“We want to make sure we have battle buddies out there and available to anybody who is wanting to talk to somebody,” she said. “We want to make sure they know we’re there for them.”

And like those stuck behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, Cammack said help is just a phone call away.