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Posts: The American Spirit
Spirit of America 2025: A fireside chat
I’d like to update you on Spirit of America’s plans for 2025. I recently sat down with my teammate Windle Jarvis to talk about our priorities, our impact, and reasons for optimism. I hope you’ll watch the video below.We talk about the growing challenges to America’s...
Four reasons for optimism in 2025
Like you, I care deeply about America and what America stands for. Like you, I am concerned about the many challenges we face. The challenge motivating us at Spirit of America is that freedom isn’t free. The world is being destabilized by terrorist groups and by...
A letter from Admiral Gary Roughead
I served our great nation in uniform for nearly four decades, so I know well the power of our armed forces. As a boy, I lived in remote towns in the Middle East and in the US Navy, I was part of disaster response and humanitarian assistance operations. I know that...
A letter from General Joseph L. Votel
Before I retired after a 39-year career in the US Army, I was Commander of the US Central Command, responsible for US and coalition military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia. My teams turned to Spirit of America repeatedly to fill gaps between what our...
The Foreign Service at 100: My time on the front lines of diplomacy
In 2007, I joined a roomful of Americans from all walks of life — teachers, veterans, first-generation immigrants, journalists, academics, photographers — who took the oath of office to serve and protect the United States as diplomats. Before we met, many of us had...
A story of service and sacrifice
This Memorial Day we honor the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives in service to America and to protect the promise of a free and better life. I am honored to share the story of one such hero, US Army Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis. Ollis went to Ranger...
A message from CEO Jim Hake
In August I visited a Ukrainian school in a village not far from the Russian border. The village had been occupied by Russian soldiers. I want to tell you about Bohdana, a 15-year-old Ukrainian girl I met there.Bohdana had participated in a program created by Spirit...
How one man’s harmonica showcased the best of America
One of the great things about America is how we pitch in to make things better. No one tells us we have to do it. We do what we can — even when the odds are against us. That initiative, generosity, and optimism is the essence of citizen service. It’s why I called our...
