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Beavercreek veteran’s family hopeful to house Afghan refugees

BEAVERCREEK — A Beavercreek veteran’s ex-wife is working to house a family of more than 20 Afghan refugees resettle in Greene County after fleeing Afghanistan when the Taliban took over.

“These people served side by side with my husband,” Susan Marticello said. She and her then husband welcomed his interpreter in their home for the first time back in the fall of 2013.

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Marticello’s ex-husband served in Afghanistan and said he considers the Afghan family that help him brothers in arms.

“He talked about how his life was saved because of his interpreter,” she said.

That interpreter and his entire family welcomed Marticello’s ex-husband into their home, and now their lives are at risk, which is why they ask that we not reveal their identities.

“The people did not look good at us because you’re inviting basically infidels in your house,” said Golz, a 23-year-old who came to the U.S. on a student visa and now has a green card. “We treated the Americans with whatever we had in our pocket. We did everything to just make sure they’re safe from Taliban, from back minded people.”

Marticello said despite the challenges and risks that come with welcoming in a refugee family, she’s willing to do everything in her power to help the family.

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“We’re asked to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and so we’re going to make this work,” Marticello said. “Though I am one individual there is a network of all of us that working to get this family first of all to Dayton.”

Most of the family is waiting in Germany, where they went after recently fleeing Afghanistan. Marticello hopes with help from the community and state leaders that they’ll make their way to Beavercreek.

“There is some hesitancy and I get it. Cause there’s a lot on the news about the Taliban, but the Taliban is one group in Afghanistan,” Marticello said.

Marticello said she has a few more hoops to jump through before she can bring the family to the Miami Valley, but said she hopes the community will welcome them the way she does, and the way that they welcomed her husband when he was so far from home.

“These refugees have been through so much in their life. I just hope people treat them right when they’re coming in this country,” Golz said.

Marticello has organized a GoFundMe page for community members interested in giving their support.



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