A Boston rescuer for Iraqis who aided US
to Boston
Kirk Johnson is one of the Boston-area people reaching out to help others who are far from most Americans' minds, but who remain in grave danger for what they did for the United States.
My Globe colleague, Linda Matchan, profiled Johnson and his work in a powerful story on the front page of Tuesday's paper.
Johnson, who lives in Somerville, has helped hundreds of Iraq translators, embassy workers and others who put their lives on the line during the US occupation. He is angry that only 600 such Iraqis were admitted to the United States last year even though legislation permits 5,000 visas for these people each year.
After working in Iraq following the fall of Baghdad, and struggling to hold his own life together, Johnson plunged into helping those who had helped the United States but were under threat of assassination in their home country. Matchan tells the remarkable, inspiring story of Johnson's achievements, and the work that still lies ahead.
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About this blog
About James F. Smith
Jim Smith came home to his native Boston in 2002 to become the Boston Globe's foreign editor after spending 22 years abroad. He was previously based in Buenos Aires and Mexico City for the LA Times, and in Johannesburg, Tokyo and The Hague for the AP. In 2007 he became the Globe's national political editor, coordinating presidential campaign coverage. He is a Yale graduate, and has an MBA. He is married to Maxine Hart and has two sons, Matthew and Daniel.
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