To the SWJ community,
Spirit of America is looking for 3 great veterans of OIF or OEF—especially those with civil affairs or stability operations experience—to join our Commander Support Program (CSP) team. The Commander Support Program is a unique initiative that puts Spirit of America personnel on the ground alongside US military units in Afghanistan to provide rapid humanitarian aid and development assistance for needs identified by US military and civilian personnel at district level and below. You can read more about the origins of the CSP in the Wall Street Journal here.
We're looking to hire at least three field reps to continue our work with the Marines in Regional Command Southwest and to extend our support to Army units operating in Regional Command South's area of responsibility. Start dates would be later this summer. Your tour would be approximately 8 months long, with a two-week leave.
Our basic qualifications: E6 and up, service in Iraq or Afghanistan (preferably at the battalion level or below), patience, maturity, a sense of humor and the ability to explain your role as an SoA field rep to a gunnery sergeant who thinks you're just another civilian eating his chow. Well, only some of the time on that last point. But you get the idea. Check out our full job description here.
Spirit of America is a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that, since 2003, has supported the humanitarian and counterinsurgency efforts of American military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq.
If you're interested and think you fit the bill, email me a cover letter and resume to matt@spiritofamerica.net. I look forward to hearing from you.
Matt Valkovic is the Manager of Spirit of America's Commander Support Program. He is a former US Army field artillery officer, who served in Baghdad from 2008 to 2009 with 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment out of Fort Riley, Kansas.
Comments
After reading this message, I have mixed feelings about this position and the SoA organization. My most recent experience in Afghanistan (RC-E) as a Brigade Civil Affairs Officer taught me many counterinsurgency lessons learned that I think need to be addressed and taken into consideration to any member of SoA wanting to go and help the US cause.
First and foremost, members of SoA going to Afghanistan need to ensure they possess a strong fundamental understanding of the US and Afghan Development Strategies. Many US platoons, companies, and Civil Affairs personnel, eager to produce what your job description describes as a "rapid, tangible difference" have derailed or set back the larger, over-arching objective or strategy that we're trying to achieve. It takes a strong, well-coordinated interagency effort to ensure we move forward in the right direction, not just simply a large number of eager personnel with deep pockets.
Also, the SoA personnel must CLEARLY understand their supported BCT's guiding principles with respect to where and when it is appropriate to deliver humanitarian assistance (HA) goods. Many areas of operation in the modern Afghanistan battlefield are not conducive towards the random handing out of HA due to the welfare state it has developed. There is a right time and place for everything, but the days of viewing the handing out of HA as "low-hanging fruit" are done.
Lastly, based on the above observations, your job description of the coordination and execution of SoA projects concerns me. SoA members MUST ensure that all ideas for SoA projects need to be vetted and approved with the Battle Space Owning (BSO) units. SoA folks must also not be focused on the number of projects executed versus solving problem sets. Don't count number of projects or money spent - solve problem sets. Many times, the solution to a problem is NOT a project, but rather a realignment of Provincial assets or resources.
I applaud your efforts, enthusiasm, and patriotism, but I felt obligated to make sure that I passed along some of my lessons learned as well as concerns in an attempt to keep others from making the same mistakes.
MAJ Carlos Moya
Student, Command and General Staff School
U.S. Army Combined Arms Center
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
"The views in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government."