CBS News reporter on a trip from Afghanistan to the US

One year after With the fall of Afghanistanmillions of Afghans remain impoverished and hungry. However, many of those who escaped have started new lives in countries such as the United States. Musadiq Bidar, a tech and political reporter for CBS News, knows exactly what it's like. His family fled Afghanistan in the 1990s when the Taliban ruled the country for the first time. On "CBS Morning," Vidar reflects on his own experiences as a refugee and what it means to be an Afghan-American.

Families flee the Taliban as Afghans chase US planes and cling to their last hope for freedom I remember struggling with 30 years ago. 

I was born in the basement of his Kabul home in 1992. The Taliban had just begun to conquer Afghanistan.

 During the civil war, rockets and bombs exploded outside while my family took refuge in the basement.

 His mother, an airline flight attendant, and his father, a radio journalist who had reported on Taliban human rights abuses, were targeted when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in his 1996. I was.

 A grenade intended to kill his father took the life of his grandfather and injured other members of the family. We found ourselves in the same situation as millions of Afghans are now. Stay home and face death, or leave everything behind for freedom and opportunity.

 We leftKabul at midnight and hid in the homes of family and friends for months until we reached the refugee camp. was in pakistan.

When I was his six years old, together with my brother he worked ten hours a day and helped set the table. . We woven luxury carpets sold in the United States and Europe.

My father was homeschooled at night because polio restricted his mobility. His mother waited outside various embassies in Islamabad desperately trying to submit an application for a refugee visa.

We slept on the floor and shared simple treats like her birthday cake, but continued striving for a better future.

 In May 2003, I received a phone call that changed my life. I will pack my bags and go to America.

 I was his 10-year-old and could hardly say 'hello' or 'how are you' in English, but he soon translated government documents for his parents. I noticed that there is

We resettled in his small two-bedroom apartment in Concord, California. My mom used to roll sandwiches on the San Francisco Subway during the day and take English classes after her shift.

I wore Team Her USA's jersey, watched reruns of "Full House" and "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," and carried a basketball around to fit my body.

 For me, education is the catalyst for success, and America has given me the opportunity to seize it. The Bay Area community provided a welcoming environment and gave me the opportunity to proudly call myself an Afghan-American.

 A student volunteer from his school here in Athens coached me on weekends and took me to a Giants game. It was in this fully-scholarship high school that I discovered my passion for journalism and storytelling.

 I studied journalism in Washington, D.C., where she stayed for ten years.

 My father often says that coming to America is like winning the lottery. But it is also a reminder that prosperity is not guaranteed. My family's success is the success of America and the countless leaders, teachers, friends, and colleagues who have supported us in every way.

 I followed in my father's footsteps in pursuing a career in journalism.The same carrier that the Taliban tried to kill him in Afghanistan.

 Last summer I was driving from California to Washington, D.C. This was the quintessential cross-country road trip as part of fulfilling the American Dream. The beauty of the Great Salt Lake and the splendor of Yellowstone National Park were reminders of the compelling values ​​and ideals that represent America beyond its borders.

 Twenty-five years ago, rockets and bombs forced my family out of their homeland of Afghanistan.

 Today my youngest brother is preparing to study engineering at university. My sister recently graduated and started her own business. The middle brother is a doctor's assistant and takes care of elderly patients.

 Last year we bought our first house together. A slice of the earth that we can call our own. as a family.

 This is what Afghan refugees who came to the United States last year are currently working on. This is what my family came up with last summer while chasing a plane atKabul Airport .

 They held onto the hope and freedom the world knew America offered.