My Giving Story
Dear Friends, Followers, and Supporters of SFS,
My name is Leonardo Coutinho and I am from Brazil.
As a career investigative journalist, I have always had a passion for uncovering the truth, no matter how difficult to find or understand. I love the twists and turns of a story and the connections it will invariably make. My investigations have taken me to the jungles of the Brazilian Amazon, to the sprawling urban cities in Lima and Buenos Aires. I’ve been fortunate to present my research before the U.S. Congress, the Brazilian Congress, and have helped improve the defense cooperation between the Brazilian Armed Forces and the U.S. Department of Defense.
On October 22, I was decorated with the Order of Aeronautical Merit medal alongside two officers and three coronels from the Brazilian Air Force. This came after my 2019 nomination of the Order of Defense Merit medal, a military award for exceptional contributions to Brazil. And later this month, I will be awarded the Order of Rio Branco medal by Brazil’s Foreign Ministry alongside the former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Mr. Sergio de la Peña.
There is nothing that makes me prouder than being recognized by my home country for the work I am doing to protect it and to help build better bilateral relations with my new home, the United States. It is an honor and privilege to be a part of the SFS team and help work toward a more peaceful and prosperous hemisphere. Thank you to all of our supporters and I hope you, too, will support SFS’ work and mission to defend freedom and security in the United States, Brazil, and beyond.
In Liberty,
Leonardo Coutinho
SFS International Fellow
It is the generous support from individuals like yourself that empowers SFS to do this noble work.
Participate in this #GivingSeason and make a charitable, tax-deductible gift today. SFS is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. A gift at any level helps SFS advance our mission of freedom and security in the Americas, in these troubled times.
Dear Friends, Followers, and Supporters of SFS,
My name is Jose Gustavo Arocha and I am from Venezuela.
I retired from the Venezuelan Army in 2009 after 23 years of service. Throughout my military career, I have always been independent and outspoken, especially when it is related to injustice or freedom. This became increasingly problematic for the Venezuelan Army under the control of Hugo Chávez and I was forced to retire.
In 2014, I was detained by Venezuelan regime security services under false charges of treason and imprisoned for eight months without trial. As I was kept in solitary confinement and tortured in an underground prison known as “La Tumba” or “The Tomb” I experienced firsthand the brutal nature of a totalitarian regime. Since escaping captivity in March 2015, I have resided in the United States. In 2018, I graduated from Harvard’s Kennedy School and started working as a Senior Fellow for the Center for a Secure Free Society (SFS).
SFS has given me the opportunity to speak truth to power about the horrors that are happening inside Venezuela at the hands of the Maduro regime. With SFS, I have been able to speak about the nature and threats coming from Venezuela before the U.S. Senate, Organization of American States (OAS), and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Horrors that will continue to happen and spread throughout the region if policymakers and the public fail to understand the gravity and nature of the Venezuela crisis.
It is an honor and privilege to be a part of the SFS team and shine a light on what’s happening to my home country, Venezuela, so that my new home, the United States, does not go down a similar path. Thank you to all of our supporters and I hope you, too, will support SFS’ work and mission to defend freedom and security in the Western Hemisphere.
In Liberty,
Lt. Col (ret) Jose Gustavo Arocha
SFS Senior Fellow
