On Sept. 11, 2001, I was a senior in high school, having just turned 18 a few days prior. I fully understood the horror unfolding and knew that the nation had changed that morning.

That morning would completely change the trajectory of my life and those of a vast number of people in our country.

I watched my classmates join the military after graduation and go off to fight in Afghanistan. In 2003, I watched the invasion of Iraq on TV in my college dorm room. Then, in 2004, I joined the Army myself. Instead of becoming a teacher as I’d planned, I became a soldier.

In my 12 years of service, I deployed to Iraq twice. I was shot at, mortared and rocketed. I have lost soldiers under my command to both hostile fire and suicide.

When my military career ended, I became a deputy sheriff, then senior leadership at a non-profit that cared for adults with disabilities. Eventually, I came to the American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces. My entire adult life has been dedicated to service: to our nation, my community and now to troops in a deployed environment.

There are thousands who, like me, have answered this call. Red Crossers are all over the United States and on most U.S. military bases throughout the world. Today, there are approximately 20 of us deployed alongside frontline units in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

In the hours following 9/11, the American Red Cross initiated a relief effort that has lasted decades and spans the nation, ultimately engaging more than 57,000 team members. The majority are volunteers, including thousands who had joined the organization for the first time. The Red Cross also engaged by:
 

• Serving more than 14 million meals
• Opening shelters for people left stranded
• Connecting with people more than 374,000 times to provide emotional support and health services
• Assisting more than 59,000 families affected by the terrorist attacks
• Ensuring $1.1 billion in generous donations were used to fund massive relief and recovery efforts.

The Service to the Armed Forces team also stood up to answer the call. The Red Cross has deployed into combat areas alongside the military since the Spanish-American War in 1898. Since 9/11, we deployed with troops to Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq during the Global War on Terror. We are still deploying alongside them today, opening eight new service sites in eastern Europe and the Middle East since 2022. We are in Romania, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Djibouti, Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan. Most of us cover multiple sites within our areas of responsibility.

The military’s commitment to protect and serve in the aftermath of 9/11 has been extraordinary.  At the invitation of the Department of Defense, the American Red Cross will continue to go where they go and serve where they serve.

We will come alongside to provide resiliency opportunities, so they are mentally strong during tough times.

We will provide comfort and be a conduit between service members and their families.

On behalf of the American Red Cross, we’re thankful for the honor of serving those who serve.