By Jim Williford, Red Cross Volunteer

During World War II, both of my parents served in the military in the European theater. My father, Sam, was a C-47 pilot, and my mother, Ruth, was a field hospital nurse. My father’s younger brother, W. C. Williford, Uncle Check, also served in Europe as a member of the infantry.

My father was based in England and later in Saint-André, France, about 50 miles from Paris. My mother’s field hospital moved through several countries as the front lines shifted, ultimately ending up in Germany during the final months of the war. Uncle Check landed in Normandy a day or two after D-Day.

We have hundreds of letters my parents wrote to each other during the war. Several letters mention meetings at the Red Cross in Paris. It was a safe place to see one another and offered comfort. They especially loved the coffee and doughnuts. When they were granted leave, both would hitch rides to Paris and meet at the Red Cross.

At the time, my father had no idea where his brother was or how he was doing. Unknown to him, Uncle Check had been wounded in battle and sent to Scotland, where he performed administrative work for the Army.

During one visit to the Red Cross in Paris, my mother learned there was someone there who could help connect people serving in the European theater. Through this support, she was able to locate Uncle Check.

On one of my father’s later trips to England, Uncle Check traveled to see him. In a subsequent letter to my mother, my father described the visit as deeply emotional and tearful. Neither man had known the other’s location or condition. Now, at last, they did. That letter remains my favorite of all the correspondence.

A month after the war ended, my parents were married in Saint-André, France. They flew to London for their honeymoon, and Uncle Check joined them to celebrate — made possible by that Red Cross connection.

My mother was a lifelong Red Cross volunteer. This story is one of the reasons my wife, Sally, and I continue to volunteer with the Red Cross today.

Red Cross History

For nearly 140 years, the Red Cross has supported every major forward deployment and mobilization of the United States military, providing comfort, care and communication between service members and their families during times of emergency. The Red Cross mobilized in support of the U.S. military, our Allies and civilian victims of World War II. We enrolled more than 104,000 nurses for military service, prepared 27 million packages for prisoners of war, shipped more than 300,000 tons of supplies, and collected 13.3 million pints of blood for the armed forces. In nearly every American family, someone was a Red Cross volunteer, donor or blood donor, or received Red Cross services. Learn more about our history by visiting: https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/National/history-wwii.pdf