Regarding America

Army Helicopter Pilot Becomes Angel to Iraqi Family

By Daniel Hamon

Russell Hayes had served in the U.S. Army as a helicopter pilot during Vietnam. In 2007, he was recalled by the Army for service in Iraq. Hayes, age 55, thought there was no way he would be going back to the military. But his wife Carmen told him that perhaps God had a reason for him to be sent to Iraq, so Hayes went and ended up becoming an angel to the Salman family.

Rooms for the Homeless

By Daniel Hamon

According to the Columbus Dispatch, fifteen homeless people in Colorado Springs will be inside for Christmas, thanks to a mysterious donor who paid for their motel rooms. The donor, a woman that said her name was Linda Craft, paid in advance for four rooms insisting that they be used to provide shelter to some of the homeless campers that have been gathering near Interstate 25.

As reported by The Gazette, Maggie Spence, one of the beneficiaries "welcomed the weeklong shelter as an aid in finally kicking the pneumonia she’s been battling for weeks."

Linda Craft is another example of people in America quietly taking the initiative to help their neighbors in need.

America's Gift to Asia

By Daniel Hamon

The Khaleej Times, one of the leading English language newspapers in the United Arab Emirates, recently published an article written by Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, in which he attributes the rise of Asia to America's generosity:

The biggest strategic gift that America has made to the world is to spark the rise of Asia by generously sharing its wisdom and best practices with millions of Asians. It is dangerous to over-simplify history, but some crude facts are undeniable. If the American dream had not been discovered and created, and Europe had continued to dominate world history, Asian societies may not have awoken from centuries of slumber so quickly and smoothly. American generosity saved Asia.

Comforting Trees

By Daniel Hamon

For those who have lost their jobs, hope or faith, Sharon Girulat offers comfort in the form of a Christmas tree:

Two years ago she phoned the owner of a Frosty Farms lot and asked if she could have some leftover trees. They gave her about 50. She and her husband Rollin delivered them, along with decoration kits they made up, to some churches. Last year she called Frosty Farms again, as well as Johnson Brothers tree farm. She got another 50 trees and recruited a few colleagues to help make the deliveries.

This Christmas, 50 turned into 500. Peltzer Pines, which has several farms in Orange County, offered up 350 trees when Sharon came knocking. She put an ad on Craigslist, asking people to sing out if they had lost their job or their hope or their faith, and would find comfort in a Christmas tree.

Making the Crooked Straight

By Daniel Hamon

An upcoming documentary will focus on the work of Rick Hodes:

Born in Long Island, New York and educated at John Hopkins - Dr. Rick Hodes has dedicated his life to helping heal the sick and poor of Ethiopia over the past 20 years. Many of his patients are stricken with tuberculosis of the spine, a disease that creates massive humps on the backs of its victims. Eventually they’re forced into permanent forward-bending posture, which in turn prevents their lungs from working properly, and if left untreated leads to death.