Saving Aziz: How the Mission to Help One Became a Calling to Rescue Thousands from the Taliban

Wall Street Journal Bestseller

It was the right thing to do. And someone had to do it.

Aziz was more than an interpreter for Force Recon Marine Chad Robichaux during Chad's eight deployments to Afghanistan. He was a teammate, brother, and friend. More than once, Aziz saved Chad's life. And then he needed Chad to save his.

When President Joe Biden announced in April 2021 that the United States would be making a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan, Robichaux knew he had to get Aziz and his family out before Taliban forces took over the country. As the rescue team began to go to work, they became aware of thousands more--US citizens, Afghan allies, women, and children--facing persecution.

This gripping account of two war heroes and friends puts human hearts and names alongside the headlines of one of the most harrowing moments in our history, giving you a closer look at:

• The resilience of Afghanistan and its people
• The twenty-year war that took place under four presidents
• A mission accomplished and the work that’s still to be done

Saving Aziz is more than a story of war and rescue: it's about breaking down prejudice and apathy--and why risking it all is worth it when it comes to loving one another.

Praise for Saving Aziz:

"Saving Aziz is the story of two warriors...brought together by war and a brotherhood forged through years of battling...for the cause of freedom and captures the heroic efforts of those who took action to not only rescue Aziz and his family in the US withdrawal but thousands of others."

--Tim Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author, US Army Special Forces, Sniper

Chad Robichaux is a former Force Recon Marine and DoD Contractor who served on eight deployments to Afghanistan as part of a Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) Task Force. After overcoming his personal battles with PTSD and nearly becoming a veteran suicide statistic, Chad founded Mighty Oaks, a leading nonprofit serving the military and first-responder communities with highly successful faith-based resiliency and recovery programs.

Chad is a highly sought-after public speaker, speaking to millions worldwide and over 500,000 active-duty troops on military bases. Having led life-saving programs for approximately 7,000 warriors at Mighty Oaks Ranches around the nation, Chad has become a go-to resource and is considered a subject matter expert on PTSD, veterans care, and national security, having advised presidential administrations, Congress, Senate, the VA, the DoD, and been appointed to serve as the chairman of a White House veterans coalition.  

Chad serves as a board member for the Center for Security Policy and is the cofounder of two nonprofits focused on the rescue of Americans and vulnerable people groups trapped or captured in conflict zones around the world. In 2021, Chad led the largest civilian evacuation in American history, rescuing over 17,000 people who were trapped during the Afghanistan withdrawal, including his long-time interpreter and friend, Aziz. Chad is now leading operations in Ukraine and other high-risk areas around the world.

Chad is regularly featured on a wide range of national media and is a Fox News contributor. His life story was notably shared in a short film by I Am Second, along with a sequel, and is the focus of the documentaries Never Fight Alone, Send Me, and Escape from Afghanistan. Currently, a motion picture movie is being produced based on Chad's award-winning Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Saving Aziz. Chad is also the USA Today bestselling author of A Mission Without Borders, highlighting rescue efforts and humanitarian aid missions he led on ten trips to Ukraine since 2022.

Chad is also a former Special Agent, having served with the US Federal Air Marshal Service and the US State Department Surveillance Detection Program. He holds an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), is a board-certified pastoral counselor with the AACC, and is completing a graduate nonprofit management program at Harvard University.

Chad is a lifelong martial artist, professional world mixed martial arts champion, and 4th degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. Chad is a devoted Christian and resides in Texas. He and Kathy have two daughters, two sons, and five grandchildren. Through his resilience, passion, and selfless heart to serve others, Chad remains an inspiring figure to many worldwide as the host of The Resilient Show.