Will Willis, Service to the Armed Forces and International Services Director of the American Red Cross Northwest Region, could have had his pick of high-paying jobs.
“I could have gone for any logistics job in the Seattle area because of my background [in air transportation, people and cargo],” he explained. “But I wasn’t chasing dollars.”
It’s a funny thought. Especially for a man who grew up in a family of eight and jokes his family was so poor growing up, “we couldn’t even spell ‘poor’ with two o’s.”
Will Willis took the decision that few Americans do and enlisted in the U.S. military, directly after high school. He says it was a boyhood dream of his after years of watching planes fly in and out of Lambert Airport near his family’s home in St. Louis, Missouri.
“I always wanted to be around airplanes, and I figured the easiest and quickest way for me to get around them was to join the military,” recalled Will.
After taking the oath at the Military Entrance Processing Station in St. Louis, he shipped off to basic training before getting stationed in Japan, his first taste of life abroad. He found the experience wonderful and enjoyed learning about the Japanese culture. But Will described his second duty station in Dover, Delaware as his most formative.
“That’s where I really got to learn about my career field dealing with the logistics of military transportation. I had a lot of opportunities to go on TDYs (temporary duty assignments) and I went all over,” recalled Will, who was hardly in Dover at all.
During the five-year duty assignment, Will met his wife and deployed to Saudi Arabia to support Operation Desert Shield/Storm as well as to numerous hurricane responses around the country.
He recalled Hurricane Andrew, a category five, wiping out Homestead Air Force Base in Florida and needing to bring equipment like generators into the neighboring Coast Guard base.
“I was on the ground there, just bringing in everything that we could to help those folks out,” said Will. “And of course, ended up seeing the Red Cross down there because they were actually helping as well. That was my first real visual of the Red Cross in action.”
On one operation to Puerto Rico when a hurricane destroyed most major infrastructure, Will remembers seeing the Red Cross rent out the Burger King on the U.S. Coast Guard Station San Juan because they had a generator providing power. Burger King provided hot meals for everyone on the installation.
However, it would not be for another seven years, after he got married and started a family, that Will would turn to the Red Cross himself for help. During his second permanent change of station to Japan, Will received an emergency communication message from his home in St. Louis -- his brother Jeremiah had tragically been stabbed to death.
“That was some of the worst news I could get because he had just gotten married on that weekend.”
Despite the family’s quick response, rushing him to the hospital, Will’s brother passed away.
The Red Cross notifies service members of emergencies at home through the Hero Care Network and will independently verify an event for military commands to make a decision on whether or not emergency leave is warranted. Will’s request to go home with his wife and son to support his family during this trying time was approved within several hours.
Their presence meant the most to his mother.
“She [Will’s mother] did not rest until my wife and myself and my son, I think he was probably like a couple years old at the time, until we got home. She gave us embraces with a huge hug and she was like, ‘I can rest now.’ And she actually rested,” remembered Will. “That’s the Red Cross power of them sending those messages. It gives the commanders the opportunity to send a person back with no charge for a flight to get you back home if it’s considered an actual emergency... that’s what the message does. It has that much weight, that much power.”
Despite the tragedies they would endure and numerous other emergency communication messages, he and his spouse, Lynn - who also served in the reserves for 24 years - would receive, Will rose through the ranks, distinguishing himself as a strategic thinker, smart planner and competent leader, capable of instilling change in even the most reluctant of teams.
Once he retired from the Air Force after 30 years, he chose to give back to the organization that had given him so much by way of opportunity over the years: the military.
“[The military] has made me who I am as a person,” explained Will. “The philosophies of integrity first, service above self, and making sure whatever you’re doing, you don’t have to look for forgiveness because you know you’re going to be above par for everything you do.”
Will channeled this passion and zeal for the military into a rewarding seven-year career with a senator in Washington State as the military and veteran constituent representative. In the role, he helped military-connected individuals who vote in Washington navigate the Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency and Veterans Administration systems, just to name a few.
Following a speech he gave on behalf of the senator’s office one morning in Tacoma, the regional executive of the American Red Cross Northwest Region invited him to serve as a volunteer on the regional board. Will’s commitment only grew from there - from volunteer to board president, then on to full-time employee when the director position of Service to the Armed Forces and International Services opened.
“The Red Cross is all about people,” shared Will while explaining why he joined the organization full-time. “It’s all about humanity. It's about giving back, about being there. Through Service to the Armed Forces, I get to deliver help before they even ask.”
Will cites programs like behavioral health workshops, delivering Red Cross baby baskets to newly expecting military families and participating in Veteran Stand Down events as some of his favorite ways the Red Cross supports military families.
Through his work with the Red Cross, Will continues to embody the values of integrity, service and excellence that have guided him throughout his life. As Will reflects on his journey, he remains humble about his achievements and focused on the mission. It was never about accolades or money. “Nobody's doing these types of jobs for the pay,” he said.
“It’s because we have a heart for the people.”
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
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