Justin Turner in his Army uniform while he was active duty. (Photo courtesy of Justin Turner)
-Frederic Klein
The son of a military father, Justin Turner moved around a lot. In his sophomore year of high school, he found himself staying in Texarkana, Texas with his uncle — a man known as much for his fish fries as for the farming acumen that he shared with Justin.
After high school, Justin decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the Army as an infantryman. Within a year of enlisting, he was getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan.
“Right before we deployed, we have what’s called a pre-deployment fair and you got to go to each station and check off the box,” said Justin. “One of the checkpoints was the Red Cross.”
Justin knew that his uncle was fighting cancer, so when his squad leader summoned him to a makeshift communication center set up in a shipping container and he saw Army leaders, the battalion chaplain and a Red Cross representative waiting for him, he feared the worst. Moments later the Red Cross representative delivered an Emergency Communication Message informing him that his uncle had passed away.
The Red Cross helped coordinate Justin’s emergency leave, stayed in touch with his family and helped ensure he could return home to attend his uncle’s funeral and repass, at which the family held their own fish fry, and spend time with loved ones while they grieved together.
“They took care of everything, made sure I got here to the states, and before I even got here they had already been in connection with my family and set everything up for me to be here,” said Justin about the Red Cross. “Even when I got back, the representative in Afghanistan, he checked on me constantly. I got reports from my family that the Red Cross was still in connection with my family afterwards.”
Four and a half months into his year-long deployment, Justin was injured and received an honorable discharge from the Army. Long after his military service ended, he still remembered the compassion and support he received from the Red Cross during a difficult moment of his life.
“All of that, the culmination, played a lot into knowing what they do and the mission, and I wanted to be a part of it.” said Justin. “You didn’t have to think because they did everything. It gives you that opportunity to kind of shut off for a minute. It’s like you’re in new waters, you’re in new territory and you’re so focused on planning — and no, all of that is literally done.”
Justin Turner and his daughter celebrate at the 50th Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Show in New York City, where Justin was highlighted as an Army veteran and current member of the Red Cross. Photo by Frederic Klein / American Red Cross
After retiring from the Army, Justin found a job as a 911 emergency dispatcher before joining the Red Cross in 2022 as an emergency dispatcher in the Greater New York region, where he helps individuals and families access help after experiencing a disaster — oftentimes a home fire. Today, Justin helps people facing some of their worst days, drawing on both his military service and his own experience receiving Red Cross support.
“You’re surrounded constantly around people that believe in the mission and they care what they do,” said Justin. “You work other jobs and everybody has their role and everybody does what they do, but to care is something totally different. And since working here, I don’t even look at this as a job anymore. I love what I do.”
Every day, the American Red Cross helps hundreds of active-duty military members and their families through the Hero Care Network, a 24/7 support system for families as they face crises of all kinds. Visit redcross.org/herocare for more information or call toll free at 1-877-272-7337 to speak to a compassionate specialist.
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