|
Red Cross Worker Serves Overseas Military
Written by Deborah Griffith MacSwain, American Red Cross Volunteer Writer
If you added all the years of service provided by American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) staff members since the Vietnam conflict ended in 1973, the sum would be 942 years – nearly a millennium. Over the course of those years, dozens of AFES workers have held the hands of dying soldiers, written letters home for the injured, handed out thousands of ditty bags and comfort kits, relayed messages of deaths, illnesses and births – and simply offered a Red Cross smile to those in need.
Terry Hitchcock, who has been with the Red Cross for 33 years and recently returned from an assignment as the manager at the U.S. military base in Uzbekistan, has many stories about his work with the armed services. Terry and his co-worker Wilfredo Solis were the first Red Cross staff assigned to Operation Enduring Freedom in December 2001 and they handled all emergency communications from the outpost known as “Camp Stronghold Freedom” for American armed forces serving in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Terry Hitchcock (pictured above right, with two U.S. soldiers) was part of the first AFES team deployed to Uzbekistan in December 2001 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
|
On December 25, Christmas Day, 2001, Terry and Wilfredo were sitting in the air terminal at Incirlik, Turkey, waiting for their flight to Uzbekistan. There they met a group of soldiers on their way back home to the United States. One soldier, moved by the fact that representatives from the Red Cross were going to the conflict area, took off his dog tags and his “medal of protection.” He turned to Terry and said, “This medal protected me from harm and I want you to have it. It will protect you.” Terry couldn’t have asked for a more meaningful Christmas gift.
Life in Uzbekistan was difficult with a bitterly cold winter, a wet, muddy spring and no amenities or comforts of home. But despite the harsh conditions, everyone stationed at Camp Stronghold Freedom shared overwhelming sense of pride about serving their country, high morale and a desire to work together as a team.
The Red Cross staff joined in that feeling of comraderie. Red Cross staff members, responsible for distributing emergency messages between military families, are also an important resource for military members in need of counseling or who just want a friendly listener. In addition, the Red Cross provides comfort kits filled with free toiletries.
“I can’t believe the Red Cross is here and would give me this kit,” a tearful soldier, wounded during Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan, told Terry. Personally shaking the hands of each injured soldier brought to the field hospital, giving them a comfort kit and thanking them for their work, was one of Terry’s most rewarding, yet emotional, experiences of his 90 day tour supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
In his three-decade career with the Red Cross, Terry has been assigned to numerous locations in the United States. Overseas, Terry served in Vietnam, Korea, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Scotland. He was the first Red Cross worker to arrive in Saudi Arabia in support of Desert Storm. He was also deployed to Somalia and served two tours in Bosnia. Now, he adds Uzbekistan to his list of completed assignments.
“Every day was a high,” he said of his latest mission. ”We were appreciated by all the troops. It was a pleasure getting up each day to go to work.”
Terry is back at his home station in Germany. He plans to retire this fall, but not for long. He will join the ranks of the Armed Forces Emergency Services Reserve Corps. Terry has signed on to be a Tier III Reservist committing to working a minimum of 180 days a year and going anywhere in the world. He hopes to have his first reserve assignment in early winter 2003 and says he is, as always, ready to go wherever needed.
Related articles:
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. The Red Cross also supplies nearly half of the nation's lifesaving blood. This, too, is made possible by generous voluntary donations. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. You can make a secure online credit card donation or call 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Or you may send your donation to your local Red Cross or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013. To donate blood, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543), or contact your local Red Cross to find out about upcoming blood drives.
|
