Spirit of America’s Founder and Chairman of the Board, Jim Hake, was honored by the U.S. Marine Corps on May 22nd at the Marine Barracks in Washington, DC. The host for the evening was Lieutenant General Joseph F. Dunford, Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations. General Dunford is also a long-time supporter and friend of Spirit of America.
Spirit of America is the only nonprofit organization that fulfills requests from members of the U.S. military for goods that will help local people in Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa. In October 2009 we will turn our focus almost exclusively to Afghanistan in response to the troop build-up in that country. Through the Americans for Afghanistan Campaign, United States citizens will come together in support of the efforts to rebuild the Afghan nation after decades of warfare.
You've seen this image before if you follow Spirit of America at all. It's a photograph of Army Sergeant Major James "Mack" McDowell, along with an Afghan soldier and two farmers. Tomorrow is Armed Forces Day in the United States, and when I pause throughout the day to think of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, for me Mack McDowell will take the point.
Mack gave a series of presentations for Spirit of America a few months ago, after having completed one our most successful projects to date - the wholesale eradication and conversion of a poppy field in Sangin, Afghanistan (the origin of 65% of the world's heroin supply) into a high-yield saffron industry. For his efforts, Mack was awarded CNN Hero status. As he gave his presentation those three common denominators really came through. Mack is obviously a great America hero and proud member of its Armed Forces. His primary job as a Soldier was to rid his particular area in Afghanistan of the Taliban, which he did quite well. But what really shines above all else with Mack, in my opinion, is his true passion for the Afghan people. Just watch these three 10-minute videos of Mack's presentation at DeAnza College if you aren't convinced: Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD-HkOg4rDg); Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bNEXxmlIH0); and Part 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n26i21Xmg44).
Here I am in Farah Province, Afghanistan, chatting with LtCol David Odom. Colonel Odom is the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion/8th Marines at Deleram FOB. The 3/8 has been in the thick of it for months. Spirit of America has provided them with materials to help train Afghan Security Forces, as well as medical supplies for a regional medical clinic being constructed in the village right outside their door. We will continue to work with the Provincial Reconstruction Team 
(PRT) for Farah Province and its commanding officer, Navy CDR Benjamin Nicholson, in the coming months and years. Thanks to the 3/8 for being the pioneers for us in this region of Afghanistan. There is a lot of work to do, but we're good to go.
I would venture to guess that the first thing a typical American realizes when flying over southern Afghanistan is that he/she is a long, long way from home. There are no signs of civilization below, other than occasional mud-brick evidence of a village or a few haphazardly organized green pastures that follow rivers and streams. Gone is the geometry and concrete permanance of life as we generally know it.
The impression I had of Afghanistan was less about the country and its people, and more about my hosts, the United States Marine Corps. I kept hearing myself saying that popular phrase, "No better friend. No worse enemy." On the "no worse enemy" side of that equation, what I saw were a few remote FOBs consisting of maybe 1,000 Marines, all covering an area the size of Vermont. Spread this thin, the FOBs could still function because they are populated by the best fighting force on the planet. As a veteran myself I am not green to the military or the Marines for that matter, but in this surreal landscape I really got a sense of the organization and the power of our boots on the ground, and the unquestionable stupidity of anyone who would opt to mess with them. I also understand completely that the Taliban is a formidable enemy for any fighting force, but in the months to come as more and more American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines enter Afghanistan and venture into all corners of the country, one can't help but stand in awe of the comprehensive and well-deserved beating that the Taliban are about to receive. 
This past week I was able to make a quick journey to Kandahar, Afghanistan and surrounding areas, thanks to the hospitality of the United States Marine Corps. Special thanks to Lieutenant General Joseph Dunford for setting the trip up, and to Brigadier General Ronald Baczkowski (pictured here on the left) for being such a gracious host. I'd also like to thank Colonel Michael LeSavage (pictured center) and Captain William Milana (pictured right) of USMARCENT in Tampa, FL for allowing me to join them and for providing me with so much valuable information.
U.S. Army Sergeant Charity Lewis has completed two separate deployments to Iraq - one with the Pennsylvania National Guard and the other with the Indiana National Guard. During her first deployment she took full advantage of Spirit of America resources and requested everything from toys and beanie babies, to blankets and soccer balls. She kept a considerable stock of these items where she worked, and became quite popular with U.S. Marines who would stop by and ask her to fill up their Humvees before they went out on patrol. Sgt. Lewis was also able to take Spirit of America-supplied materials with her when she went out on patrol herself. She was directly responsible for distributing tens of thousands of dollars worth of items that yielded friendly and positive relationships between the Iraqi people and American Soldiers and Marines, and she no doubt saved the lives of several by showing that Americans really care about the future of Iraq.
So imagine how excited I was to learn that Sgt. Lewis was back from Iraq, and living in her hometown of Beford, Indiana, just a few hours from my own home in Zionsville, Indiana. With the help of volunteer Matt Massie (himself a two-deployment veteran of Iraq as a U.S. Marine), we traveled to Beford and interviewed Sgt. Lewis about her experiences in Iraq, and with Spirit of America. Click on the title of this blog post to see that interview on YouTube.
Thanks to Sgt. Lewis for exemplifying Spirit of America, and thanks also to volunteer Matt Massie for helping out with this interview. - Dennis Norris
Army Major Terri Selph continues to help both childrens and adults who are victims of the thousands of landmines that litter the Afghan landscape. She has been asking for and receiving Spirit of America donations for wheelchairs, which are quite rare in Afghanistan. Her wheelchair projects have made it possible for several individuals to once again discover the happiness of mobility. If you would like to help Major Selph, please visit her project page for more information. Thanks!
This is HM1 Charlotte Ward of the US Navy, a very special person from Des Moines, Iowa. Charlotte serves with a Naval Special Warfare Unit as a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman. Sometimes it amazes me when we hear about the long hours our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines put in, but when we get emails from Charlotte it really hits home for me. Not only does she provide medical support for an entire platoon of SEALS, but she also serves as a deputy for the Women and Children's Engagement Project through Marine Civil Affairs. She spends endless hours doing foot patrols, and going house-to-house in and around Fallujah, Iraq. In her "spare time" she orchestrates events in village centers, schools, or the homes of tribal leaders. When she contacts us she is usually operating on only a few hours of sleep over several days.
In an earlier blog post I mentioned U.S. Army Chaplain Steve Dunn and SPC Jonathon Kissam and their efforts to support an orphanage in Iraq. They even got some great ink in the Daytona Beach News-Journal and the Volusia Beacon.
supplies, recreational equipment, and even several wheelchairs, but she began a Vocational Training Program in the area that has already requested sewing machines to help train women on how to help themselves by building their marketable skills.
I started to post a blog about all the great things that US Army SPC Gerardo Llamas is doing in Afghanistan - collecting blankets for kids, passing out school supplies, making the most of a bad situation, etc. But then I got an email and some photos from him today and I realized that there was no way I could say it better than he does. He was describing for us his recent trip to an Afghan orphanage, and the supplies he passed out while he was there. SPC Llamas, you epitomize the mission of Spirit of America, and you are a true American hero and patriot. Take it away. . .
"It was a great experience. I can't believe how happy these kids were, the smiles on their faces said a lot and I of course was touched by this. When we got there we were received by the people that run the orphanage. They told us the kids were all outside on their patio waiting for us and that they were really excited. They helped us unload the boxes from the vehicles and took them inside the orphanage. As I was walking in I realized how much these people needed, as you can see in the pictures even the walls are falling apart. When I got in I saw all the kids lined up; girls on one side, boys on the other. We started giving all the blankets away. I must say that at 
the beginning I was scared that maybe I didn't have enough blankets for every kid. As the kids came to get their blanket they just smiled, some were shy and just walked away with their blanket, some tried to say thank you, some thanked me in their language, some just smiled, and one little girl, pretty as a doll, smiled and then gave me a hug. That was the highlight of my day, and she seemed so thankful. At the end I was really happy to see that every single kid got a blanket. I even had enough to give to the teachers that live with them and care for them. When we finished handing out the blankets we started giving away some jackets and coats. Unfortunately I only had about 60, and they were boys coats, so we handed these out to the boys, and some stuffed animals to the girls. After everything was all done we said goodbye to the kids. Some came and gave us hugs, some asked to us to come back. I will definitely try to go back soon to give out the school supplies and, if possible, to take them some bags of candy and other treats. I must say that all this was possible just because of your help and donations, I could not have accomplish half of this without you all. I am really thankful to every single one of you. I will keep in touch and inform you of future deliveries and projects. May God bless you all and your families!! P.S. Sorry if my writing is not perfect or is confusing, I'm not the greatest writer but I try. Sincerely, SPC Llamas Gerardo, US Army."
Not long ago I was whining to one of my staff that Spirit of America would see an increase in support if more people knew our story. Problem is, while most of us at Spirit of America have a surface knowledge of public relations and the tools needed to grow awareness for an organization, none of us come close to being an expert. It's especially tough these days, when it seems like every week there is new technology we should be using, but many times we don't know what we don't know.
It seems like whenever we put out one of our bi-weekly Email Updates, we succeed in shaking the bushes and flushing out a lot of positive responses. I've gotten many comments today about one particular article in the Email Update entitled "The Anatomy of a Spirit of America Project." I think people really appreciate knowing how we go about putting one of our projects together (from request to completion), and how fast, efficient and effective we like to be in responding to our troops. It's a good feeling to hear from folks around the country who are supportive of our mission.
US Army Chaplain Steven Dunn (left) and Specialist Jonathon Kissam were mentioned in today's edition of the West Volusia Beacon. Click here for the entire article. Both soldiers have undertaken the tremendous task of helping some of the estimated 4 million Iraqi orphans, most of whom are snubbed by their communities or used for suicide bombings. Please also visit their Spirit of American Project Page so you can learn more about how to help with their efforts. Our thanks to Chaplain Dunn and Specialist Kissam for their dedication to mission and service to our country.
US Army Specialist Gerardo Llamas, from El Paso, TX, got his deployment in Afghanistan stretched through the winter months and wondered if there was a way to make good use of his additional time. After seeing so many Afghans needing just the basics for their very survival(blankets, shoes, clothing, etc.), he decided to try to make a difference. He put up a post on Craigslist asking people to donate blankets, but didn't get the initial response he had hoped for. But SPC Llamas is an American soldier, not one to easily cut and run. He kept at it and eventually his Craigslist post was seen by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, a blogger, author and overall troop supporter. Phyllis not only posted the request on her own blog, "Mrs. Lieutenant: A Sharon Gold Novel," but she also contacted Spirit of America and asked if we could help.
Very busy day at Spirit of America as we get a large shipment ready for US Marines in Afghanistan. The recipients are Lieutenant Colonel David Odom and Major Brian Mulvihill of the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Afghanistan. Tasked with civil engagement and the training of security forces, Colonel Odom and Major Mulvihill requested supplies such as ballistic eye protection, hygiene kits, military-use first aid kits, personal hydration systems and water purification tablets. This was just a start, and more will be coming from Spirit of America thanks to the generosity of our donors.
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