Volume 79, No. 145B ©SS 2020 CONTINGENCY EDITION SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020 stripes.com Free to Deployed Areas BidenELECTION 2020 wins White House President-elect vows new direction for nation gripped by division Page 6 Inside: Senate control may be decided by Georgia runoff elections, Page 7 President-elect Joe Biden addresses reporters on Nov. 5 in Wilmington, Del. DEMETRIUS FREEMAN WASHINGTON POST Afghan pilot in hiding after DOD backtracks on entry to US BY J.P. LAWRENCE In early October, the U.S. Citizenship But on Oct. 28, just hours before they after a few senior leaders had objected that Stars and Stripes and Immigration Service and the Defense were to about to leave, Asadi was told plans this decision had been made without their Department approved Maj. Mohammed had changed. He would learn the Pentagon approval, the official said. KABUL, Afghanistan — A helicopter Naiem Asadi’s request to seek refuge in had withdrawn its endorsement. The U.S. military on Friday confirmed pilot reputed to have killed more Taliban America, along with his wife and 4-year- The Pentagon had indeed approved Asa- it had pulled its support for Asadi and his than anyone else in the Afghan air force is old daughter, because they were in “immi- di’s application to seek refuge in America, family. in hiding after the Pentagon reversed its nent danger of being killed by the Taliban,” said a DOD official who could not be named “The appropriate officials determined decision to approve his move to the United approval documents and emails shared due to not being authorized to comment on States. with Stars and Stripes show. the case. The military changed its stance SEE BACKTRACKS ON PAGE 3 VIRUS OUTBREAK MUSIC LIFESTYLE Fort Bliss commander Springsteen’s new No shortage of fun declares public health ‘Letter to You’ born board games to pass emergency amid surge from emotional loss time during pandemic Page 4 Page 12 Page 14 Seven-time champ Johnson taking final lap » Auto racing, Back page PAGE 2 •STARS AND STRIPES• Sunday, November 8, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.8995 Euro costs (Nov. 9) ................................ $1.16 Thailand (Baht) .....................................30.59 Market: Biggest week since April Dollar buys (Nov. 9) .............................. €0.82 Turkey (Lira) ........................................ 8.5242 British pound (Nov. 9) ..........................$1.28 (Military exchange rates are those Japanese yen (Nov. 9) ........................102.00 available to customers at military banking South Korean won (Nov. 9) ............1,097.00 facilities in the country of issuance Associated Press winner in the presidential race, composite was 0.1% higher. Commercial rates for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the although Democrat Joe Biden has The yield on the 10-year Trea- Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3771 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For NEW YORK — Wall Street British pound .....................................$1.3159 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., paused Friday after a furious edged closer to victory. Control of sury climbed to 0.81% from 0.78% Canada (Dollar) .................................. 1.3029 purchasing British pounds in Germany), the Senate was also up for grabs. late Thursday after the U.S. gov- China (Yuan) ....................................... 6.6114 check with your local military banking four-day rally gave the market its Denmark (Krone) ............................... 6.2732 facility. Commercial rates are interbank Treasury yields rose after a re- ernment said employers added Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.6903 rates provided for reference when buying biggest weekly gain since April. Euro ....................................... $1.1881/0 .8417 currency. All figures are foreign currencies Investors are anticipating that the port that showed employers hired 638,000 jobs last month. The Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7543 to one dollar, except for the British pound, Hungary (Forint) ................................ 301.93 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, election this week will result in more workers than expected last stronger-than-expected tally and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.3744 more partisan gridlock in Wash- month. suggests the economic recovery Japan (Yen) ...........................................103.24 ington, keeping business-friendly The Dow Jones Industrial Aver- may still be intact, though it also Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3055 INTEREST RATES age was down 54 points, or 0.2%, marked another slowdown in Norway (Krone) .................................. 9.1478 policies in place. The S&P 500 Philippines (Peso).................................48.19 Prime rate ................................................3.25 fell one point but held on to a at 28,335, as of 2:35 p.m. Eastern monthly job growth. Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.79 Discount rate ..........................................0.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7507 Federal funds market rate ...................0.09 blockbuster weekly gain of 7.3%. time, after erasing most of an ear- The rally helped the yield claw Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3471 3-month bill ............................................. 0.10 The election has yet to produce a lier 200 point loss. The Nasdaq back some of its recent slide. South Korea (Won) .......................... 1122.33 30-year bond ...........................................1.60 WEATHER OUTLOOK SUNDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST SUNDAY IN EUROPE MONDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 46/37 Kabul 73/39 Seoul 51/32 Baghdad 83/59 Kandahar 81/41 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 54/30 61/46 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 60/52 52/39 60/37 Iwakuni 63/45 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 91/76 Brussels 53/36 Guam 90/71 63/49 Ramstein 63/52 86/80 Lajes, 60/39 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 89/63 88/80 64/56 57/39 54/38 Aviano/ Vicenza 61/45 Naples 72/51 Okinawa Morón 73/70 71/50 Sigonella Rota 70/51 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 88/76 70/58 66/56 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 11 Books ....................... 17 Comics/Crossword ...... 15 Gadgets & Tech .........16 Music ....................12-13 Opinion ..................... 18 Sports .................. 19-24 Sunday, November 8, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• PAGE 3 WAR/MILITARY Backtracks: Many shocked by DOD’s reversal FROM BACK PAGE protection. He hoped to apply for that DoD could not support the asylum, which can take years, request,” Army Maj. Rob Lode- while safely in the United States. wick, a Pentagon spokesman, said Documents show he passed in an emailed statement. several background checks, and The Pentagon’s reversal on Oct. 5, the Pentagon endorsed shocked one of the military offi- his application. cers who vouched for Asadi and “Applicant and his family are had promised to host the pilot and in imminent danger of being his family upon arrival. killed by the Taliban,” said the “The family was about to travel document, signed by Assistant to the U.S. in good faith, that they Secretary of Defense Ezra Cohen. had followed the proper process, “Threat to applicant is directly and been approved,” said Bryan related to faithful execution of the P. McA lister, a former A rmy pilot job he was trained, equipped and who was Asadi’s advisor. “Who is advised by the U.S. to do.” going to finally do the right thing, But the day he was supposed to and let them come to the United leave, Asadi said his appointment States, where the American peo- at the U.S. Embassy was can- ple are ready to receive and care celed. No reason was given. for them?” He then received a phone call Asadi said there is no way he can from the Afghan air force’s com- return to his old life out of fear of mander, demanding Asadi report both the Taliban and retribution to his office. He hadn’t told his from the Afghan government. command he applied to a U.S. The 32-year-old flier is said to program to leave the country. have killed more Taliban than He did not report, concerned any other pilot in the Afghan Air he could be deemed a deserter Force during thousands of flight by those who didn’t know or care hours, Afghan and U.S. military that he was applying through offi- RESOLUTE SUPPORT/DVIDS officers told Stars and Stripes. cial channels, and fearing that he In a screenshot from a 2017 NATO Resolute Support video, then-Capt. Mohammad Naiem Asadi talks Asadi protected an American would be thrown in prison among about flying helicopters for the Afghan Air Force. Now a major, Asadi and his family had been approved pilot who crashed his A-29 Super the Taliban. to come to the U.S. for their protection until the Pentagon reversed its endorsement of their exit. Tucano attack turboprop in He learned later the Pentagon northern Afghanistan this sum- had placed his case on hold, before mer, said a letter of commenda- withdrawing the endorsement. tion signed by Air Force Capt. “We were the ones who raised Robert V. Yost. our hands and said, ‘we’re not Asadi led a flight of two MD- quite sure we checked all the 530 attack helicopters that scram- boxes when we endorsed this bled to protect the crash site in thing,’” the defense official said. Taliban-contested territory, and “We don’t want to be put into a po- Asadi’s efforts were vital to the sition of facilitating the departure pilot’s rescue, Yost wrote. of an active duty Afghan military “The incident was just one of officer.” countless events where Maj. Asa- Asadi is now somewhere in Af- di’s actions have protected and QUINTON RUSS/U.S. ghanistan under U.S. protection. Air Force saved lives,” he wrote. His young daughter has adapted But for all his heroics in the air, well to life in hiding, he said, but Afghan pilot Asadi and his family faced threats for him and his wife, the disap- Maj.