Amount Donated: $5,085 Date Completed: September 2003 Primary Donors: Individual donors, Federal Express.

Request

Lt. Col. David Couvillon emailed Spirit of America requesting red, white and blue soccer jerseys for people in Wassit Province, Iraq. Couvillon said, "Anything we can do in the spirit of friendship with the Iraqi people will help. 'Football' (soccer) is the game here and I can't think of a faster way to spread the message of American concern, caring and freedom."

Result

Spirit of America raised funds from individual donors in the United States to purchase 480 red, white and blue soccer jerseys. The kits included an insert with images of the American and Iraqi flags, photographs of American men, women and children and the greeting "A gift of friendship from the people of the United States to the people of Iraq." Federal Express donated express shipping of the jerseys to the Marines.

Response

Couvillon and the men and women of 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines distributed the soccer jerseys in the villages. Couvillon said, "Soccer Jerseys, provided by 'Spirit of America', were a tremendous hit with people in Wassit Province, Iraq. We passed out nearly 500 red, white, and blue jerseys throughout the province. Men, boys, and girls eagerly sought the jerseys handed out by the DevilDogs of 3/23. The Marines made particular efforts to find sandlot soccer games in order to distribute the jerseys."

"Despite every effort to 'divvy' up the colors by sides on the field, it just never happened. Try as you might, the kids playing just crowded about the HumVees to get a jersey, as fast as you passed them out, new people joined the crowd to obtain one too!"

"Over the next several days, it was easy to spot the new jerseys! The soccer players wore them day after day and were the most enthusiastic of people returning the friendly waves of Marines moving through the streets."

"People say there are no 'silver bullets' for improving things in Iraq. I don't know. Spirit of America just might be a silver bullet. We found that giving gifts as acts of friendship - and the person to person interaction that it involved - helped build positive relationships. These people had heard terrible things about Americans for years and years. So for the Iraqis being able to receive something special and look into an American's face and touch their hand makes a difference."

More Photos

More photographs provided by the Marines distributing soccer jerseys to the boys and girls of Wassit Province, Iraq.

Questions?

Please contact us via email at staff@spiritofamerica.net