The interview features Sanjar, author of Land of Tears, who recounts his life journey, military service, and the experiences that led him to write his book.

Sanjar was born in Tehran, Iran, and left the country in 1977 at age 12 to study in the United States with his mother and brothers. The plan was to return to Iran, but the 1979 Islamic Revolution prevented that. His father was forced to flee Iran after being placed on a revolutionary blacklist. Sanjar ultimately became a U.S. citizen and considers America his permanent home.

Educated in private schools in Iran, Sanjar already spoke English when he arrived in the U.S., though adapting to American culture—especially in small-town Texas—was challenging but positive. He later earned an MBA from Pepperdine and worked in consulting and dental business management with his brothers. The 2009 economic collapse devastated his business, prompting a turning point in his life.

At age 44, after responding to a small newspaper ad seeking Persian, Dari, and Pashto speakers, Sanjar became a military interpreter. He trained intensively in Pashto and deployed to Afghanistan, where he was embedded with U.S. Marines in Helmand Province. Despite initial mistrust—due to his Iranian background—he proved his loyalty and earned the Marines’ trust. He describes linguistic challenges, cultural tensions with Afghan interpreters, and the danger and intensity of working “outside the wire.”

Sanjar’s book Land of Tears chronicles his time training for and serving in Afghanistan, as well as his return home. Writing began as a personal coping mechanism for PTSD after deployment and evolved into a full memoir with the help of writing coaches, editors, and eventually a publisher (MilSpeak Books). Writing became deeply therapeutic for him.

After returning from Afghanistan in 2011, Sanjar narrowly survived several life-threatening events, including a major freeway accident and later a medical crisis involving bladder cancer surgery. During surgery, he bled out, was resuscitated after dying on the operating table, and survived against overwhelming odds—an experience he describes as profoundly spiritual, including an out-of-body experience. He believes God spared his life for a reason.

Spiritually, Sanjar explains that while he is ethnically Kurdish Iranian and Jewish (non-practicing), his experiences transformed his understanding of God and purpose. He sees his survival, service, and writing as interconnected parts of a larger calling.

The interview concludes with mutual respect among veterans, reflections on PTSD and reintegration, and appreciation for military brotherhood. Land of Tears is presented as both a war memoir and a deeply personal story of survival, identity, faith, and redemption.

An Interview with Sanjar: Author of Land of Tears

Introduction: A Journey from Iran to America and Beyond

In this interview, we sit down with Sanjar, the author of Land of Tears, to explore his extraordinary life story. Rather than summarizing his background ourselves, we let Sanjar share it in his own words—from his childhood in Iran to his unexpected path as an interpreter for the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, and the profound events that followed.

Early Life and Immigration to America

Sanjar was born in Tehran, the capital of Iran, where he spent most of his childhood until age 12. In 1977—about a year and a half before the Iranian Revolution—he left Iran with his mother and brothers to attend school in the United States. The original plan was for him to complete his education, return to Iran, and take over his father’s business, as was common for families at the time.

Tragically, the 1979 Revolution changed everything. No one anticipated its intensity. Sanjar’s father, still in Iran, was placed on a blacklist by the revolutionary authorities and forced to flee the country, leaving everything behind. Sanjar has lived in the U.S. since 1977 and has never returned, citing the current regime as a barrier. He hopes one day to visit under different circumstances, but for now, it remains impossible.

When he arrived in America at age 12, Sanjar lived with his mother, brothers, and relatives in Texas. His mother intended to settle them temporarily and return to Iran herself, but the revolution made that impossible. Fortunately, attending a private school in Iran had given him a strong foundation in English (taught alongside Farsi from kindergarten, with Arabic added later). He spoke with a British accent initially, which led to amusing challenges communicating with locals in small-town Texas.

Despite stereotypes, Sanjar recalls receiving nothing but warmth and respect from the community—even in what he affectionately calls a “redneck town.” He laughs about the colorful nicknames they gave him, viewing them as lighthearted rather than offensive. In today’s more sensitive climate, he notes, such banter is harder to come by, but he values authenticity and confidence in one’s identity.

Path to Becoming a U.S. Marine Interpreter

Sanjar’s route to interpreting was unexpected. During World War II, his father—then a teenager who spoke English—had worked as an interpreter for an American general in Iran. Decades later, in 2009 amid the real estate crash, Sanjar’s consulting and dental practice businesses suffered heavy losses. Facing financial strain in Los Angeles, he responded to a small ad in a Farsi newspaper seeking Farsi, Dari, and Pashto speakers.

At age 44, he enrolled in intensive Pashto classes, passed rigorous exams, and deployed to Afghanistan—assigned to Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province with the Marines. He views this as one of the best decisions of his life, even fulfilling a long-held regret: at 18, he had passed the naval exam for intelligence but backed out.

Between high school and age 44, Sanjar earned an MBA from Pepperdine, ran a consulting business, and co-owned dental offices with his brothers (a periodontist and prosthodontist) until the 2009 downturn forced liquidation.

In Afghanistan, dialects posed challenges—Pashto has over 50 variations—and locals sometimes tested interpreters with slang or intentional miscommunications. Tensions arose with Afghan interpreters over cultural, religious, and national differences (Iran and Afghanistan have a complex historical relationship). Initially, Marines were cautious about an Iranian interpreter, but Sanjar earned their trust through dedication.

He describes the Marines with deep admiration: “A Marine can be your best friend or your worst nightmare.” Wearing their uniform felt profoundly right, like “slipping into my own skin.”

Writing Land of Tears: Motivation and Healing

Sanjar began taking notes in Afghanistan for personal reflection. After returning in December 2011, he struggled with reintegration and PTSD symptoms—no military support structure existed for civilian contractors. Writing became his therapy.

Starting with raw emotions and memories, he produced 80–90 pages, then hired a writing coach. What began as self-healing grew into a 400-page manuscript. His brother’s patient—a literary agent—saw potential, leading to edits, rejections, and eventual publication with Milspeak Publishers (despite their focus on military veterans).

The book chronicles his Pashto training, deployment, key events in Afghanistan, and return (with names and some details altered for privacy). Sanjar hopes readers gain insight into the interpreter’s role, the human cost of war, and personal resilience.

Life-Altering Events and Spiritual Transformation

Upon returning in 2011, Sanjar planned to redeploy in February 2012. However, an 18-wheeler crashed onto his car on the 405 freeway while driving his mother to lunch. Miraculously unharmed (no blood, despite the car’s destruction), he later discovered a frozen shoulder that prevented redeployment. He now sees this as divine intervention redirecting his path.

In February 2025, during a military language immersion program, Sanjar experienced bladder issues leading to a bladder cancer diagnosis (a 5 cm tumor). A routine outpatient procedure in March turned catastrophic: his bladder lacerated, iliac artery severed, and he bled out, losing over five liters of blood. Revived after multiple transfusions and compressions, he became known at St. John’s Hospital as “the Miracle of St. John”—statistically, 90% die, 9% survive with severe damage, and he was the rare 1%.

During the ordeal, a security guard named Isaiah Matthew delivered an unsolicited message: “God just told me to tell you you’re going to be okay.” Sanjar also had an out-of-body experience, viewing his body from above.

These events—surviving multiple IEDs in Afghanistan, the truck accident, and clinical death—deepened his spirituality. Raised with a subtle connection to God but never religious, Sanjar reveals a surprising heritage: he is neither Sunni nor Shia but a non-practicing Jew with Kurdish roots on his mother’s side—a secret he kept in Afghanistan.

Closing Thoughts

Sanjar expresses profound gratitude for America, calling it his true home and final resting place. He thanks veterans, service members, and the hosts for the opportunity to share his story.

Land of Tears is now available. Sanjar offers signed copies and looks forward to potential audio versions.

This interview highlights an extraordinary life of resilience, service, faith, and redemption—one that reminds us of the unseen hands guiding our paths.