Life on the Front Lines: Red Cross Staff Reports From Kuwait

NOTE: The following piece is one in a series about life on the front lines, as reported back by the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services staff currently living and working side by side with the men and women of the U.S. military serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Please check back for regular updates.

March 21, 2003 — There are currently 24 American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) workers on the ground in Kuwait, assigned with the 3rd Infantry Division, the 101st Airborne Division, V Corps, 377th Theater Support Command, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and Third Army Headquarters Forward. The Red Cross staff are living and working along side the men and women they are there to support. The conditions have frequently been harsh and difficult with horrendous dust storms and hailstorms. Now they find themselves in harm’s way.

The men and women of the U.S. military with American Red Cross AFES worker Michelle Bailey (center), who is currently working on the front lines in Kuwait.

The staff experienced between nine and 12 scud and chemical/biological alerts in the first 24 hours after the military action began on March 20 (Kuwait time). This has required them to spend up to 95 minutes in bunkers, wearing gas masks or full chemical suits. These alerts began at 5:00 a.m. on Thursday and continue today. Additionally, the teams at Camp Commando with the 1st Marines Expeditionary Force came under a rocket attack which landed within 100 yards of their location.

Fortunately, all our staff are safe and in good spirits. They are tired because of the ongoing nature of the alerts and lack of sleep. But they are continuing to do their jobs in the highest tradition of the American Red Cross.

We anticipate the Red Cross teams supporting the 101st Airborne Division, the 3 Infantry Division and V Corps will be moving forward as soon as it is safe for them to do so. It is also possible the teams supporting the Marines may move forward. Despite this heightened activity, Red Cross workers continue working under ever increasingly difficult conditions to deliver emergency messages from family at home.

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, the Red Cross staff is available to deliver emergency communications between families and the men and women of the U.S. military, including those serving in the Persian Gulf Region.

Since military action began, the AFES staff have endured up to a dozen scud and chemical/biological alerts.

Although the armed conflict in Iraq began just days ago, the first American Red Cross staff on the contingency team supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom arrived in Kuwait on January 25, 2003, when they joined three AFES workers already on the ground. Since their arrival, they have handled 3,390 cases involving 9,555 emergency communication messages. Sixty-seven percent of the cases have dealt with illness and death of family members; 12 percent are birth announcements. We are seeing an average 20 percent weekly rise in cases, and expect that to increase.

However, harsh conditions have made their task difficult. As the U.S. military moves forward into Iraq they are under a communications blackout and there is a lack of telephone and e-mail connectivity. Local Red Cross chapters and Armed Forces Emergency Services stations are working with family members to help them understand there may be extended delays in delivering their messages.

We have received numerous messages from members of the military expressing the importance of the Red Cross presence. Our staff reports that soldiers, Marines and airmen stop them on the street, in the mess hall and in the office to tell them how much they appreciate having the Red Cross with them. A female officer stopped AFES worker Phyllis Marvin on the street and asked about the Red Cross. The officer told Phyllis that she had overheard Marines talking about being in the Red Cross tent, with one Marine saying, “When we get home, we gotta give our CFC [funds raised by federal employees and military personnel for non-profits] to the Red Cross,” so she became curious. Today, she has become a regular visitor at the Red Cross tent, stopping by to enjoy a cup of coffee and just say “Hi.”

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 Armed Forces Emergency Services by calling 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions may be sent to the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services, P. O. Box 91820, Washington, DC 20090. Secure online credit card donations can be made by visiting www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html.

Related Links:

• Media Advisory: First American Red Cross Team Returns From Operation Iraqi Freedom Deployment
• Armed Forces Emergency Services
• Red Cross Local Resources for the Military and Their Families
• Red Cross Message Unites Sergeant with Newborn Twins
• Military Family Support Groups Offered by Red Cross Chapters
• As Troops Deploy, Red Cross Chapters Help Ease Transition
• AFES Teams Deploy with U.S. Troops
• Red Cross Keeps Military Families in Touch
• Find Your Local Red Cross Chapter Online

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