By Samantha Ferrer
Louisiana Red Cross volunteer

There are many quotes about freedom. Quotes that sound cliché but are accurate in describing the meaning and the price of achieving liberty, because it isn’t given for free. It is important to acknowledge those who offer and dedicate their lives to making and keeping our nation safe and free, those whose lives represent the price we as Americans pay for freedom.

Through Service to the Armed Forces (SAF), the American Red Cross supports the heroes who serve in every branch of the military, as well as their families, by offering services such as Emergency Contact, Financial Assistance, Deployment Services, Resiliency/Reconnection Workshops, and Information and Referral Services, among others. Some of these services, Financial Assistance and Information and Referral Services for example, are offered in the face of crisis, such as when a financial emergency arises and/or referrals for resources are needed. The Resiliency/Reconnection Workshops are intended to facilitate the assimilation of military members back into society and everyday life after military members return home from duty. Deployment Services prepare the family of military members adjust to the upcoming life changes prompted by the deployment of a loved one.

We often look at those who protect us as untouchable heroes, and while heroes they might be, we must realize that they too need support and care. To support veterans and their families, the American Red Cross participates in events such as Yellow Ribbon and Veteran’s Week alongside other organizations. During Veteran’s Week, various events are sponsored throughout the week to honor our veterans. Yellow Ribbon, an event held either pre- or post-deployment of military members, is held to offer various resources to deploying military members and their families, such as collecting emergency contact information in case an imminent need for a family member to communicate with someone who is deployed arises.

Red Stick Veteran’s Week took place Nov. 6-12. The Red Cross of Louisiana participated in various events such as Yoga, Career Fair and Resiliency Classes, and the Jaguar Run. The Jaguar Run was held on Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Southern University campus. Participants in the 5K included enlisted members of the Navy and Marines who attend LSU, veterans, and some community members. A group of Southern students who are part of Top Jag, an alumni sponsored organization that recognizes students for their academic accomplishments at Southern University, volunteered with the Red Cross at the race, recording the participants’ time and name, and passing out water and T-shits at the finish line.

Future Navy sailors, a group of contestants who attend LSU expressed their pride and enthusiasm to participate in the 5k race to honor those who came before them. “We are here to honor our past and pave a better future,” expressed Matthew Woodson, freshman at LSU. For Quincy Hinrichs, joining the Navy is part of a family tradition he is proud to carry on.

Like these young, aspiring students, the Red Cross seeks to honor our veterans and offer its services to members of the military on active duty and their families. The organization participated in a pre-deployment Yellow Ribbon event on Saturday, Dec. 17, at the River Center, where SAF offered Emergency Contact services. The purpose of this service is to collect emergency contact information from family members of deploying military members and enter it into a worldwide database. When a family member needs to deliver an emergency message to someone deployed, they can call 1-800-Red Cross, and a case number is issued to the call. The message is delivered to the person’s commander, who  relays the message.

The Red Cross also facilitates getting a member of the military to their destination following an emergency outreach from their family, for example, in the case of a medical emergency. Another service sponsored by the Red Cross at the Yellow Ribbon event was decorating ornaments, and had a great turnout, bringing families together to share some holiday cheer.

An organization constituted mostly of volunteers, the Red Cross not only contributes to the support of our military members, veterans, and their families, but also serves as a home for those who want to continue serving our nation after having served in the military. This is the case of Lee Gullo, Navy veteran who has been an active Red Crosser since 2016, and is, as described by Kara Murphy, Louisiana Regional Program Director for Service to the Armed Forces & International Services, “a reliable Red Cross presence” at the Naval Air Station in Belle Chasse.

Gullo joined the military reserves in 1968, serving 2 years of active duty. In Jacksonville, Fla., he served as part of VW-4 Hurricane Hunters from 1970-1971. Gullo then again served in the reserves in 1976, returned home and served actively in 1985 once again until 2004. He was an aircraft mechanic in the Navy and reserves, repairing propeller and jet engines.

After retiring from work in 2013, Gullo decided that he needed to volunteer. Originally a Disaster Cycle Services volunteer, Gullo decided to switch gears and become an SAF volunteer with the Red Cross, where he mainly serves in Emergency Contact services collecting emergency contact information from new recruits at Military Entrance Processing. It is volunteers like Gullo who initiate the official communication process to deployed service members in the face of emergency. Gullo’s contribution is “crucial,” according to Murphy, despite his efforts to “downplay his role.”

Service to the Armed Forces was the perfect volunteer position for Gullo to fulfill by giving back to the community that had given him a sense of realization and to the families of those who actively serve. To him, the most rewarding aspect of being a Red Cross SAF volunteer is being able to interface between military members of different ranks, as well as older veterans and new enlistees, as someone who understands what they have experienced and are going through.

In addition to Emergency Contact services, Gullo also participates in Yellow Ribbon events and trainings such as the Resiliency Workshop, which helps veterans re-adjust to family life after returning home from duty. VA Hospital Shutdowns is another service to veterans in which Gullo participates, where homeless veterans are helped to a hospital, are medically examined, and are offered clothes and shoes.

Gullo is proud to be part of an organization that supports and cares for the welfare of veterans and that recognizes the importance of their service. As a Vietnam War veteran, Gullo expressed how those who served in this war are often not as appreciated as those who served in the Gulf War or in Afghanistan, and he is proud that the Red Cross is making a positive change in appreciating all veterans and being so open and understanding of their needs.

Benjamin Disraeli one said, “The legacy of heroes - the memory of a great name, and the inheritance of a great example.” Our veterans and volunteers are the heroes who set an example of courage and patriotism, who leave a legacy of freedom and safety, and a whose memory we honor for defending the great name of America. They also carry on the legacy left by Clara Barton: The American Red Cross, which she founded after providing aid to those wounded in combat in the Franco-Prussian War and American Civil War. From her, we inherited the example of humanity and selflessness, and continue to build on the legacy she created for the American Red Cross as a service to the heroes of our great nation and of the world.