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Red Cross Volunteer Revisits Guam Battlefields
Written by Shirley Valencia, Special to RedCross.org
August 19, 2002 —
Battles across continents and islands, seas and shores were won, lost, and won again throughout the Pacific during World War II. In the intervening decades many veterans have returned to the Pacific to view the battlegrounds of their youth.
One World War II veteran returned to Guam this month, not to vacation, but to assist in the Red Cross disaster relief effort after Typhoon Chata’an swept through the island on July 5.
William E. (Bill) Hollis and his wife of 53 years, Allee, volunteers from Macon, Georgia, are with the family service function of the Red Cross national disaster response unit. Their work involves meeting with disaster-affected families in the field, identifying their needs and providing immediate typhoon disaster relief during the recovery phase.
After retiring from a career as an architect, Hollis said he searched for some organization that he could join that would allow him to start paying back the good that the community has shown him.
“I like the wonderful feeling of helping people,” Hollis said. At the Central Georgia Chapter, Hollis volunteers as a Disaster Action Team captain and Red Cross course instructor.
Hollis remembers Guam well, having taken part in the 1944 invasion in which he helped defend and secure a northern hospital from Japanese snipers. Hollis was on the island in late summer of that year, when General Geiger made the declaration that all Japanese resistance had ceased: Guam was no longer under Japanese rule.
Visiting Guam 57 years after his military service on the island during World War II and seeing the changes that have occurred, Hollis said, is the most memorable experience he has had with the American Red Cross. Hollis said he hopes for many more Red Cross years.
The American Red Cross financial commitment for recovery on Guam from Typhoons Chata’an and Ha Long has passed $4.3 million. The family services function, of which the Hollis’ are a part, has helped more than 2500 families.
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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.
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