airlifted more than 123,000 people including about 6,000 americans and tens of thousands of afghans. cnn's alex marquardt follows the story of one afghan interpreter who served at an air base in kunar province. >> reporter: as afghan families arrived in washington, d.c. this past week, carrying the few things they could as they fled the taliban, josh rodriguez was waiting eagerly for a glimpse of an old friend. >> we're waiting for -- and his family. he has his wife and kids. >> reporter: rodriguez worked with mohamed salani in afghanistan where he was an interpreter for u.s. forces. >> say hi to my family. >> hi, hi, everybody. >> reporter: he worked closely alongside american troops for seven years before becoming a commando in an elite unit. as the taliban swept across afghanistan this month, he was