Greetings,

It’s been a wonderful first couple of months with Spirit of America as chief of international operations. After serving on the Advisory Board for four years, I saw an opportunity to serve in a different capacity. I wanted to work directly with the team to solve problems that exist in our world as well as in our own nation. And, I wanted to help Spirit of America grow to meet these challenges.

I spent 20 years as a Marine and have had many great experiences while traveling, especially in the Middle East. One of them happened when serving with another humanitarian organization. We were transporting over two dozen children, who needed critical lifesaving surgeries, and their guardians through the deserts of Iraq to our care center in Amman, Jordan. During the grueling journey, the group was stopped by extremists, taken from the bus, and lined up along the road to be executed when American forces came by and chased away the extremists. This allowed the children and their families to pass safely into Jordan. After the medical treatments were completed, the families were transported back to their villages in Iraq by US aircraft, escorted by Department of Defense personnel.

One of the children was the granddaughter of a tribal leader who knew that our troops were endangered by roadside bombs near his village on a critical supply route. Because of the Americans’ acts of kindness for his granddaughter, he intervened. He said there would be no more explosions on the supply route, and all Americans would be allowed to travel freely without any further danger.

This is an example of how American generosity, commitment, and values can bring us all together to create a better and safer world. This is what Spirit of America stands for today and why I joined this incredible team of patriots.

I hope you will join us in continuing this mission. Together we can give hope that every person can enjoy the opportunities and freedoms that we share in America.

Sincerely,

Wayne Zinn

Chief of International Operations