Spirit of America has an inspiring, even jaw-dropping story to tell:
"LtCol Gude took over work on the Fallujah Women's Center project upon her arrival in Al Anbar Province. A project of this type can often take many months for completion. With all our best efforts, there were still some pieces of the project left undone as LtCol Gude's deployment from Iraq approached. She decided to request an extension of her time in Iraq to follow the completion of the Fallujah Women's Center and to insure the delivery and installation of all donated equipment." (emphasis mine)
Lt. Col. Gude, US Marine Corps, has a family and two small children waiting for her at home. Unsurprisingly, Spirit of America sent her a letter of effusive thanks. She responded with the following letter: