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American Red Cross, Honoring Veterans Today and Everyday
Denise Lynch, Special to RedCross.org
Saturday, November 11, 2006 — Every year on Nov. 11, America takes time out to honor veterans from all conflicts and every branch of the United States military for their dedication, sacrifices and service. For more than a century, the American Red Cross has honored members of the military by serving the men and women who serve their country and their families.
From Humble Beginnings
The shared history of the American Red Cross and members of the U.S. armed forces dates back even before there was an American National Red Cross. During the Civil War, Clara Barton—who would go on to found the organization—was known as the “Angel of the Battlefield” for her efforts aiding wounded soldiers.
A group of American Red Cross nurses sail for Cuba during the Spanish American War, 1898.
(Photo Credit: American Red Cross Photo Archives)
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Years later, inspired by Henry Dunant’s vision for the establishment of a humanitarian organization to care for wounded soldiers regardless of side, Barton established the U.S. humanitarian organization in 1881, taking on the mission of providing aid and comfort to members of the U.S. military. Its mission would eventually be expanded under Barton as well as her successors.
The Spanish-American War (1898) was the first conflict during which the American Red Cross officially provided services to members of the American military. Services included limited communications between members of the armed forces and their families. Barton, 76, who was president of the organization, recruited nurses to work with her in Florida and Cuba where the battles were raging.
At the turn of the century, the U.S. Congress granted the Red Cross its first charter. In 1905, a second Congressional Charter confirmed that the American Red Cross “provide volunteer aid to the sick and wounded of the Armed Forces in time of war…[and]…act in matters of voluntary relief and in accordance with military authorities as a medium of communications between the people of the United States of America and their Armed Forces.”
An American Red Cross Recreation Hut near Paris, 1918.
(Photo Credit: American Red Cross Photo Archives)
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The World Wars
By the end of World War I in 1918, the Red Cross was nationally and internationally recognized for its humanitarian efforts, huge membership and a distinguished record of honorable service. The Red Cross had organized 58 base hospitals in Europe and established a Home Services Program to assist with communications as well as medical, social and financial problems facing the military.
During the war, there were 18,000 Red Cross nurses providing medical care for the American military, 4,800 Red Cross ambulance drivers and 22 front-line canteens in Europe; 296 American Red Cross nurses and 127 ambulance drivers lost their lives. After the war, the organization concentrated on servicing veterans, providing relief for victims of natural disasters as well as training the public in safety, accident prevention and nutrition.
Having served in the “war to end all wars,” the American Red Cross was enlisted once again to provide crucial aid to the military during World War II.
Red Cross Assistant Field Director Georgianna Tucker, Peoria, Ill., writes a letter home for Hector, Ark., native CM 3/c J. B. Tripp, bedside in England, 1944.
(Photo Credit: American Red Cross Photo Archives)
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More than 104,000 nurses who enrolled for service at home and overseas. Red Cross employees and volunteers provided emergency communications services between the military and their families. Additionally, they prepared some 27 million packages for American and Allied prisoners of war, shipped more than 300,000 tons of supplies, knit clothing and comfort items and introduced a national blood program which collected 13.3 million pints of blood for injured soldiers and civilians. By the close of the Second World War, it was said that nearly every family in America had a member who had either served as a Red Cross volunteer, made contributions of money or blood or had received Red Cross services.
The Mid-Century
Less than a decade later, Red Crossers joined troops in Korea. During the Korean War (1950–1953) the Red Cross provided emergency communications between the military and their families with news of births, illnesses and deaths. The Red Cross has been in South Korea since 1953. Currently 14 staff members in nine locations support 37,000 troops and their families by providing emergency communications.
Beginning its efforts in Southeast Asia in 1962, the Red Cross maintained a presence during the long Vietnam War—helping members of the military resolve personal problems or prepare for a crucial return home during family emergencies. When Vietnam veterans returned to the U.S., the Red Cross employees and volunteers helped them readjust to civilian life and assisted with necessary paperwork for their benefits. Five Red Cross members lost their lives and many others were injured as they worked to complete their missions.
Changing with the Times
Many changes took place in the United States—and indeed the world—in the later half of the century. New technologies were developing that would change the way in which people live and communicate. But, the dedication of the Red Cross workers committed to supporting servicemen and women and their families remained constant even as the means and methods for carrying out duties evolved with the times.
Red Cross staff are on hand to help families welcome home their servicemen and women. Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital, Washington, D.C., 1991.
(Photo Credit: American Red Cross Photo Archives)
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In August 1990, Red Crossers—now known as Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) workers—arrived in the Persian Gulf region during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Throughout the following year, more than 150 Red Cross staff members lived and worked with the military, conveying some 215,000 emergency messages to and from the troops.
In the U.S., Red Cross AFES employees and volunteers helped more than 4,700 members of the military and their families with $1.72 million in emergency aid. Seven Red Cross workers were awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service during the Persian Gulf conflict.
The remainder of last decade of the 20th century saw Red Cross AFES workers serving around the globe. Some were sent to Somalia where they lived and worked with the military based in Mogadishu. Staffers served for a short time in Rwanda in 1994. Other AFES deployments included Haiti, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Hungary, Bosnia, Macedonia and Kosovo.
The New Millennium
Not long after welcoming the new millennium, Red Cross AFES workers found themselves lending support following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania on Sept.11, 2001—called the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Red Cross AFES teams handled more than 4.3 million calls, 1.35 million emails and served more than 800,000 families.
George Risdale (left), the American Red Cross/ Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service Male Volunteer of the Year for 2005, visits with a patient at the Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Albany, N.Y. (Photo Credit: American Red Cross)
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A little more than a year later, on Dec. 25, 2002, the first Red Cross AFES workers arrived in Uzbekistan to serve the troops; these workers would later be moved to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
In January 2003, a dozen AFES workers arrived in Kuwait. By July 2004, more than 80 Red Cross staff members had served in support of the military there—the largest deployment since Operation Desert Shield/Storm—and more than 250,000 emergency messages had been conveyed. In addition, the Red Cross distributed 200,000 comfort kits, 70,000 phone calling cards, 100,000 blank greeting cards and 56,000 boxes of quality of life items.
Always ready to support, Red Cross AFES workers answered a different call for help in the late summer of 2006 when the U.S. military was assisting with the transportation of evacuees from Lebanon to the U.S. in the midst of a crisis in the Middle East. AFES staff members at Ramstein Air Base in Germany provided refreshments and a brief respite for evacuees laying over at the air force base before boarding planes bound for New Jersey. Nearly 2,000 evacuees, across 19 flights, passed through the base with AFES workers serving around the clock for three days straight to serve them.
Then and Now
More than a hundred years after the organization’s original Congressional Charter, the Red Cross continues to serve all American troops and veterans, following the motto: “We were with you then; we’re with you now.”
The official 2006 Veterans Day poster entitled "Honoring All Who Served."
(Image Credit: U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs)
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Today, there are 148 AFES employees and nearly 15,700 volunteers serving 775 chapters and 62 military installations worldwide along with emergency communications centers in Washington, D.C., and Oklahoma.
The Red Cross operates programs and services to veterans as well as the military community, which includes more than 1.4 million active duty men and women, 800,000 members of the National Guard/Reserves as well as millions of spouses and children.
Veterans Day provides a special opportunity to honor all who served. And so, it also offers a chance to recognize the dedicated Red Cross workers and volunteers—including the more than 500 Red Cross workers who lost their lives in service during World Wars I and II, Korea and Vietnam—for the commitment they made and the sacrifices endured in serving those who served their country.
To learn more about American Red Cross programs and services available to veterans, active duty personnel and their families, visit the "Military Members" section on RedCross.org.
The American Red Cross is not a government agency. We rely on the assistance of caring supporters like you to deliver our critical services. You can support U.S. military members and their families through the American Red Cross as we provide assistance and comfort. Your gift will support the nationally coordinated Red Cross services provided to military families across the country and to American service men and women located throughout the world. Please make a financial donation to Service to Armed Forces by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions may be sent to the American Red Cross Service to Armed Forces, P.O. Box 91820, Washington, DC 20090. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
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