Mary (Jacoby) Hastings
 

Honoring Those Who Serve

by Mary (Jacoby) Hastings

As Memorial Day approaches, we are all reminded of lives lost in the line of service or following a term of service. It is a particularly stressful for the families who have lost loved ones and troops that served alongside someone who died in combat. 

The widow of James Motley, USAF Retired, is finding her first Memorial Day without her late husband to be especially difficult. Before his passing, Jim participated in the Veterans History Project through the American Red Cross in Colorado. While he may be gone, his story will live on.

Sherry is just one of thousands facing a Memorial Day that is just too painful to celebrate, but she will honor her husband’s memory by flying the American flag.

The American Red Cross is here for all who serve, including the families of military personnel, every day of the year.

From ministering to soldiers on the battlefields of the Spanish-American War to serving today alongside military personnel in the Middle East, the American Red Cross has been supporting the United States armed forces for more than 100 years.

During WWII, the Red Cross provided extensive services to the U.S. military, its allies, and civilian war victims. The Red Cross enrolled more than 104,000 nurses for military service, prepared 27 million packages for American and Allied prisoners of war, and shipped over 300,000 tons of supplies overseas. At the military’s request, the Red Cross also initiated a national blood program that collected 13.3 million pints of blood for use by the armed forces.

Today, the Red Cross continues to be there for active duty military, reserves and veterans. Recruiting health professionals to assist at military installation clinics in Colorado is just one way the American Red Cross makes a difference today. These health professionals include individuals with training in mental health, to assist those going through a particularly rough time.

Despite its many services to the men and women who serve our country, the Red Cross is not a government agency, and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org.

World War II POW Thankful for Red Cross Care Kits

People give to the American Red Cross for many reasons.  Tom Cooney and his wife Mary give annually to the American Red Cross because of something the Red Cross gave Tom in a time of need.

Private First Class Tom Cooney was a young army photographer in 1945 when the B-24 he was flying in was shot down over Hungary during World War II.  He was taken captive by the Germans and held for nearly a year.  Tom attributes his ability to survive to the care kits he received from the Red Cross.  Inside the care kit were canned goods, cigarettes and vitamins.  Tom wasn’t a smoker, so he traded his cigarettes for other people’s vitamins.  Aside from the health benefits he was receiving from the canned goods and vitamins, Tom still believes today that just feeling like someone knew he was alive was what kept him going.  Tom remembers how helpful and important the Red Cross package was and knew that he wanted to contribute to and support the organization if and when he was released as a prisoner.

During World War II the nations in Western Europe allowed the Red Cross to carry out its work of supporting those who had been taken prisoner.  The Red Cross provided extensive services to the US military, Allies, and civilian war victims including 27 million packages for American and Allied prisoners of war.  The American Red Cross has provided humanitarian support to the United States military, veterans and their families under a trusted symbol for more than 130 years. Through the Service to the Armed Forces program, the Red Cross provides emergency communications, supports military and veteran health care facilities, and provides social services to the more than 2 million military members to include National Guard and Reservists, 23 million veterans and their families.

The American Red Cross is able to provide these services through employees and volunteers who are stationed alongside the military, across the country and around the world. This includes a network of Red Cross Chapters and Stations that have offices on domestic installations as well as supporting service members on bases around the world.

Getting Tornado Safe to Honor Recent Tornado Tragedies

Two years ago today, a devastating tornado hit Joplin, MO. This EF5 tornado took over 100 lives, injured thousands and caused billions of dollars in damage in less than an hour. And earlier this week, a tornado similar in severity ravaged Moore, OK. While it’s rare to see a tornado as fierce as these, tornadoes threaten every state in the U.S. —including Colorado.  In fact, according to the Colorado Office of Emergency Management, Colorado has the 9th highest frequency of tornadoes in the U.S., and NOAA reports that between 1953 and 2004 Colorado experienced an average of 22 tornadoes per year.

Tornadoes often strike with little to no warning and are some the most violent storms found in nature, making preparation extremely important.  So, this summer, in remembrance of those who lost their lives, loved-ones, homes and livelihoods in Joplin and Moore, let’s vow to make our own families and communities more prepared for tornadoes.  If you'd like to learn more about the relief effort in Oklahoma or to donate to the cause, visit http://www.redcross.org/news/press-release/Red-Cross-Ramps-Up-Relief-Efforts-in-Oklahoma to learn more.

Here are some resources and tips to that can help you and your loved ones get started: 

1.    Download the Red Cross Tornado App
This cool new app, available for both Apple and Android users, allows you to have severe weather/tornado updates, alerts and preparedness tips right at your fingertips.  Visit http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/tornado and click the link on the right or search for the app in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store to learn more.

2.    Check out the Red Cross tornado preparedness page
Learn how to get your family tornado ready at http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/tornado.  This page has lots of great information to help you before, during and after a tornado, including tips on finding tornado shelter in various scenarios.  Visit the Disaster & Safety Library at http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster-safety-library to access a Tornado Safety Checklist.

3.    Learn some Colorado tornado history
Visit the Colorado Office of Emergency Management blog to learn about some notable Colorado tornadoes like the 2007 Holly twister that hid from weather radars.  Click the link to see the full story:  http://www.coemergency.com/2010/03/colorado-tornado-history.html.


4.    Learn the science behind tornadoes
Visit http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tstorms/tornado.htm to learn about the EF scale for tornado severity as well as other interesting science behind tornadoes.  Explore the rest of the site to learn the science behind thunderstorms and the other hazards that they bring.

5.    Check out the Weather Channel Video “Safest Place During a Tornado”
This entertaining video not only tells you, but shows you why some places in your home are unsafe during a tornado.  Visit http://www.weather.com/video/safest-place-during-tornado-35477  to view this, and other, tornado safety videos.

American Red Cross in the Fight to Eliminate “Invisible Monster”

Measles & Rubella Initiative Brings World Collaboration
By Mary (Jacoby) Hastings

A child in Madagascar describes it as an “invisible monster” that once took over his village and not everyone was lucky enough to be treated by a doctor. He believes that the “miracle” vaccine that came to his village can be shared with people everywhere as he looks to the day when he can “say goodbye to the last ‘measle’ on earth.”

Every day 15 children die from complications of Measles and Rubella around the world; but a  movement is in progress to stop and hopefully eliminate these debilitating illnesses, which are preventable.  The Measles & Rubella Initiative (http://www.measlesrubellainitiative.org/) is a global partnership committed to ensuring no child dies from measles or is born with congenital rubella syndrome. Founded originally as the Measles Initiative in 2001, it’s led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

Although measles was eliminated from the Western Hemisphere in 2002 and endemic rubella has not been detected in the Americas since 2009, outbreaks can occur when unvaccinated residents are exposed to infected people, mostly through international travel.

Measles does not cause death directly, but it weakens the immune system and opens the door to secondary health problems, such as pneumonia, blindness, diarrhea, and encephalitis. Approximately 30 percent of reported measles cases have one or more complications.

Rubella is another disease the Measles & Rubella Initiative is addressing. Rubella is generally a mild disease but can have serious consequences for pregnant women and their children. If infected with rubella in the first trimester women have a very high risk of giving birth to a child with Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS). CRS often presents in multiple birth defects including as heart problems, deafness and blindness.

With intervention by the Measles & Rubella Initiative and commitment from governments around the world, global measles deaths worldwide fell by 74 percent between 2000 and 2010, from an estimated 535,000 to 139,300. You can help the Initiative reach its goal of completely eliminating Measles and Rubella with any size donation. To learn more about donating to save lives, visit https://www.redcross.org/donate/.