As his five-month deployment in Eastern Europe was nearing its end, Anthony Lesterson was anxious to get home and, not in any particular order, sleep in his own bed, enjoy a juicy steak and spend time with family.
Lesterson was in Eastern Europe to support military members on active duty and their families through the Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) & International Services of the American Red Cross. Each year, the SAF & International Services assist more than 240,000 military and veteran families by leveraging a network of volunteers across the country and around the world.
This was Lesterson’s first deployment since joining the Red Cross in Michigan as senior regional program specialist for the SAF in December 2022.
“It’s been a great experience,” he said from his office at a U.S. Army training base. The time difference between Michigan and Eastern Europe is six hours.
“I was tasked to support approximately 1,800 service members at two separate locations. I feel the Red Cross is well represented here. We get daily praise and I truly feel that I’ve had a positive impact during my time here.”
Lesterson served as a conduit between military members and their families and coordinated activities (bingo, movie nights, yoga classes and karaoke to name a few) in partnership with the United Service Organizations and Army Military Welfare and Recreation. He was also a morale booster and confidant for military members whose families are thousands of miles away.
“I can honestly say the service members inspire me and their willingness to complete a very important mission,” he said. “The way they support one another and become each other’s family and stand behind one another through a tough deployment. There are really a lot of great and amazing people here.”
Lesterson knows from experience the rigors of military deployment. He served 26 years in the U.S. Air Force until his retirement in 2020. He said the Red Cross is held in high esteem by the U.S. military. He, too, experienced the warmth and support of the Red Cross during his military service.
“The reception couldn’t be better,” he said. “The Red Cross is fully supported here. The service members thanked me daily. The commanders are really grateful that we’re here to provide resources, morale events, you name it, things that they wouldn’t be able to provide otherwise.
“It’s been a great honor being here. This has been a pleasure for me, outside of my military service, to be able to return back to a deployed zone and look out for, really my people. To be here in a way that the Red Cross was here for us and support them through a deployment.”
Listen to a conversation with Anthony about his deployment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sevwUWbiFxk
By David Olejarz, regional communications director