Saving Aziz

Title: Saving Aziz
Author: Chad Robichaux
Major Themes: Afghanistan, Military Armed Forces, Marines, Rescues, Refugees, War, Taliban, Islam, Muslims
Synopsis: As he tries to save his closest friend in Afghanistan from the Taliban, Chad Robichaux finds his calling in life and orchestrates the rescue of thousands.

I rarely ever read a book about the military. As a Christian who takes literally what Jesus said in Matthew 5 about loving your enemies and doing good to those that hate us, I have a hard time understanding how it can be right for a Christian to serve in the military. When I requested Saving Aziz for review, I did not realize that the author was in the military. I came away from this book, though, with great admiration for him and his drive to help people.

Chad Robichaux worked in Afghanistan for a number of years after 2001, helping to free the country from the Taliban. He worked very closely with Aziz, who was his interpreter. They became as close as brothers. Chad was forced to return to the United States when it became too dangerous for him in the Near East. After his life fell apart, God met him. He found a new direction in his life. Then came Biden’s announcement in 2021 that the American military would be pulled out of Afghanistan.

During the disastrous aftermath of that announcement, Aziz contacted Chad for the first time in years. His life, along with that of every Afghan who had worked with the American military, was in grave danger. Could Chad help Aziz to flee the country? The mission to help one man turned into a major effort, and a new calling on Chad’s life, to rescue thousands from the clutch of the Taliban.

A lot of Saving Aziz was very uncomfortable to read. It’s hard to believe that human beings can inflict such horrible suffering on other people. There is a lot of hope, however, as well. Chad relates how God worked to open doors to so that thousands of people could be rescued. I’m still baffled as to how a Christian can believe it is right to kill other people, but there is no doubt, based on the story, that Chad has a love for God and is living for Him.

I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: Over and over throughout the book, violence, including shooting, beheading, and rape, is mentioned. One chapter describes the “killing pool” that Aziz showed Chad near the beginning of his time in Afghanistan. There’s also some language, but not much, and it’s mostly words like dang.