There was a great article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday titled, Wars Aren’t Won by Government Alone. In it, Karl Zinsmeister discussed how American private initiative and philanthropic giving have been, and will continue to be, key to preserving America’s national security. It is an encouraging read, especially in these uncertain times. An excerpt from the article about Karl’s time embedded with our team overseas is below.

Privately funded efforts continue to bolster America’s national defense. I recently spent time embedded in the Middle East and Eastern Europe with a donor-financed group called Spirit of America that quickly provides assistance to U.S. forces overseas and their local partners. In the forthcoming Spring issue of Philanthropy magazine, I chronicle efforts ranging from supplying mine detectors to the Kurdish Peshmerga in Iraq to delivering generators needed at camps along the Syrian border, where refugees are separated from ISIS fighters. Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a former commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, describes this nimble charity as a “philanthropic rapid-response team.” It “has been worth its weight in gold,” agrees former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who notes that “as Americans, we have never accepted that government has all the answers.”

Voluntary action is even more central to U.S. defenses against health threats. Philanthropic giving and private investment fuel a large portion of today’s medical breakthroughs. Charitable efforts were central to controlling yellow fever, polio, and tuberculosis. Donors played crucial roles in beating back HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria and many tropical diseases—and are doing so again in the coronavirus pandemic.

We hope you enjoy this article. And, be on the lookout for next week’s feature article on Spirit of America in Philanthropy magazine!

Our very best to you and your families,
The Spirit of America Team