Dear supporters, In January of 2016 gunmen linked to al-Qaeda stormed a hotel and restaurant and murdered 30 people in Ougadougou. This was the deadliest of the recent terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso where extremist incidents are on the rise. As violent extremism spills across the border from Mali, the Burkinabé military, though skilled and … Continued
Hello, I recently returned from a trip to Burkina Faso, where I had the opportunity to travel alongside our US military partners as they assessed local needs, met with Burkinabé counterparts, and provided training to their partner force. Overall, I was incredibly impressed by the Burkinabés. They are one of the most disciplined, competent, and … Continued
Greetings from the Tar Heel State, Last week, I was in Fort Bragg, NC, a place our project managers and I visit often, and a place that played a significant role in my military career. I first arrived at Fort Bragg in December 2009 to attend Civil Affairs training at the US Army John F. … Continued
Bonjour from Niger, I’d like to take a moment to update you on a recent effort supported by Spirit of America in southeast Niger. This project was designed to help protect a community from Boko Haram violence, influence, and recruiting through access to information. We first told you about this initiative here. In Diffa, a … Continued
Dear supporters, I’m happy to start the new year by sharing some good news with you. Recently, I worked with a US Army team to provide adjustable eyeglasses to needy youth. The team executed this project in an area formerly affected by al-Shabaab, a violent extremist organization allied with al-Qaeda that is responsible for numerous … Continued
Hello, Today, I’d like to update you about a recent Spirit of America effort to support a US Civil Affairs team in East Africa. SoA provided much-needed adjustable eyeglasses to be distributed across former al-Shabaab affected areas of East Africa. This effort was made possible by Adlens, who generously provided the glasses to SoA at … Continued