That was not the only time Dr. Bermudez encountered the Red Cross throughout his Air Force career. In fact, he attended “newcomer briefings” and benefitted from other services from the Red Cross at several locations where he was stationed or deployed, which included countries like Japan, Korea, and Afghanistan. Red Cross newcomer briefings are meant to orient newly arrived service members to the country and base at which they are assigned.

As Dr. Bermudez points out, for many attendees, it is their first time overseas, and the sessions help familiarize them with their new home. They receive information about the resources that are available to support civilian and military newcomers, and about situations unique to their specific geographical region of assignment. For example, those in Japan needed to be prepared to lose power or water for up to several days during typhoon season.

He found the briefings personally useful and came to admire the reputation the Red Cross had earned among his peers.

“The Red Cross is so respected in the Air Force,” he says. His impression of the Red Cross volunteers he met was: “professional, hardworking, service focused.”

He was so impressed he decided to become a Red Cross volunteer and be part of the team that hosts newcomer briefings for newly arrived service members in Okinawa, Japan, the location of his final assignment on active duty. Post-briefing feedback that he received from attendees  affirmed that the sessions were effectively alleviating people’s worries and answering their questions.

“[Newcomer briefings] helped people feel more reassured as they started their assignment in Japan,” says Dr. Bermudez.

That was near the end of 2023, the year when Dr. Bermudez retired after a long and successful career as a flight surgeon in the Air Force. Flight surgeons are doctors with additional specialized training to treat and medically support pilots and other air crew, because the demands of the flying environment create unique needs which are different from those experienced by ground based troops, according to Dr. Bermudez. These differences include potential exposure to G forces, spatial disorientation and oxygen deprivation.

After retiring, and later returning back to the United States, he attended an event where he ran into a colleague who he had served with at Travis Air Force Base in California, where they had both looked after the medical needs of the air crew there. His colleague told him about a unique opportunity to continue doing what he loved – serving as a flight surgeon with the Air Force, but this time doing so as a volunteer with the Red Cross – a full circle moment!

This role is part of a partnership the Red Cross has with the David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base. Other Red Cross volunteers who are using their professional credentials there include phlebotomists and lactation consultants, according to Nikki Rowe, Red Cross director of Service to the Armed Forces and International Services in the Northern California Coastal Region. “We augment the programs the hospital runs,” she explains.

As for the work of volunteer flight surgeons like Dr. Bermudez, Nikki says, “The role is really appreciated by our military partners.”

And being able to serve again also is appreciated by Dr. Bermudez. The best parts of the Air Force, according to Dr. Bermudez, are “the people, their dedication, the friendships, the cohesiveness, and knowing you are part of a mission.” And those characteristics continue to be the best parts of his volunteer work with the Red Cross at the Flight Medicine Clinic, at Travis Air Force Base.

Thank you for your service to our country and our Red Cross mission, Dr. Bermudez!