How The Red Cross Assists Service Members, Veterans And Military Families

Written by: Rosalind SE Carney, volunteer

Did you know... 

The American Red Cross has served more than one million military families since 9/11/01. From the first day of enlistment, service members, veterans and military families can access the following services:

Information Referral

This is a confidential service that provides connections to local, state and national resources. These resources include emergency requests for food, clothing and shelter, referrals to financial, legal and mental health counseling services, and respite care for caregivers. Information referral services operate via a network of Red Cross chapters in nationwide communities and military installations. The American Red Cross Emergency Communications Center is available to help 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call 1-877-272-7337 (toll-free) or contact your local Red Cross.

Deployment Services

Coping with Deployment is a free course that was specifically designed for the spouses, parents, older children, siblings and significant others of service members, as well as military members who may take the course alongside their family. This course offers guidelines for increasing resiliency and information about how to give psychological first aid to others in stressful times. Reconnection Workshops help service members who have recently returned from active duty to reintegrate successfully into the new family dynamic, and help children build emotional and coping skills. 

Veteran Services

In addition to the resource described in “Information Referral,” the Red Cross provides veterans with additional help, including assistance with preparation of benefit claims and information on veterans cemeteries and burial benefits. Within the Veterans Administration (VA) and military hospitals, Red Cross volunteers provide assistance in the areas of rehabilitation, recreation, administration and personal services.

To access these or other services to the armed forces, call 1-877-272-7337 (toll-free) or contact your local Red Cross.

Download the free Hero Care App to access vital emergency and non-emergency resources for military members, veterans and military families by texting "GETHEROCARE" to 90999.

Learn More about Services for Veterans.

Learn More About Information Referral.

Learn More About Deployment Services.

My Red Cross Volunteer Story: David Luke

Dave started volunteering more than 9 years ago. 

When David Luke first started volunteering at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in 2013, he was not sure where he wanted to give his time. He tried a couple different departments and clinics before realizing where he wanted to be was at the heart of it all – the Red Cross office. Since then, he has become an integral part of the office staff.

But, Dave did not get his Red Cross start at Fort Belvoir. About nine years ago, Dave and his wife began volunteering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where they manned the comfort cart on the weekends before the hospital closed in 2011.

Prior to his volunteering career, Dave served 20 years in the Air Force and another 20 years in education with the Prince William County school district.

With his wealth of knowledge and amazing attitude, we are happy to award David Luke as the January 2017 volunteer of the month.

Thank you Dave for all that you do to support our military families!

My Red Cross Volunteer Story: Kenneth Hamilton

For seven years, Kenneth Hamilton has “served with dedication and heart,” according to one of our leading volunteers. Another leading volunteer states that, when attending Ken’s briefing, she has been “very impressed, not only with his professionalism, but also his promotion of the Red Cross at Fort Belvoir.

Ken Hamilton, a U.S. Air Force retiree and health care recipient at the Fort Belvoir DeWitt Army Hospital, was inspired to strengthen communication between patients and their families with the hospital caregivers. Upon learning that the hospital had established a Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC), Ken joined the Council in 2009. He also became a Red Cross volunteer, a hospital requirement for all non-government employees serving on the Council. Because of his commitment to the goals of the PFAC and his strong leadership skill, Ken became chair in 2010 and also appointed a co-chair to assist with the group’s important work.

In his role as co-chair of the Hospital’s PFAC, Ken has provided valuable service as a collaborative voice of the patients and their families to the hospital’s professional staff, strengthening their relationships and communications. Under Ken’s leadership, the PFAC has matured and developed into a valued and respected hospital asset. His views, as a voice of the patients and families, are actively sought through representation at the hospital’s operational committee meetings and through invitations by other groups interested in establishing a similar functional group. In heralding the importance of the PFAC in providing patient feedback to the hospital, Ken emphasizes that the doctors and nurses know how to run the hospital. But he notes that, “What is changing is what patients need to know about their care.” The PFAC has had an impact at the hospital in improving communications among the patients and staff.”

In addition to the many hours of volunteer service at the hospital, Ken assisted a number of outreach events. He was particularly helpful to SAF Headquarters staff in its lab testing and video taping of the Service to the Armed Forces Client Self-Service platform. Ken’s outreach activities, both at the hospital’s Patient Orientation briefings and at many community events around the National Capital Region, have provided an extremely beneficial boost to the military community’s knowledge and understanding of American Red Cross programs in Service to the Armed Forces.

My Red Cross Volunteer Story: Susan Demetri

Susan Demetri began her journey with the American Red Cross in the summer of 1990, shortly after the loss of her little grand daughter, Amy, who was a preemie and only with the family for two months. Susan recalls that she “quickly became aware that my heart was guiding me to use the grief I was feeling in a beneficial way.” The opportunity to volunteer at the Mother/Baby Unit at the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, then the DeWitt Hospital, became a catalyst for her healing. 

As a career military wife whose children had grown up and moved away, Susan wanted to help make becoming a new mom as easy as she could for other women, in any way that she could. Susan states, “In the nearly 25 years that I have been blessed to be with the unit, I have met some of the most incredible people. I learned so much that I wish I had known when my babies were little, I passed along some of the knowledge I gained from nurturing my own children to an estimated 25,000 mothers, and I enjoyed the feeling of being part of a team that strives to make parenthood the blessing it is intended to be.”  

Susan expresses gratitude to the American Red Cross for giving her this life-changing opportunity, and the hope that she will be able to continue on “at least for a few more years.” Susan’s caring, comfort and sharing of her knowledge and experience with new mothers and their babies represent the best characteristics of American Red Cross volunteers.

Currently, Susan volunteers with our Service to the Armed Forces team as an Impatient Volunteer at Mother Baby Unit at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. To learn more about how you can help nurture your community please visit redcross.org/volunteer. 

My Red Cross Volunteer Story: Suni Chapman

Suni Chapman has blazed a path of extraordinary service with the National Capital Region Service to the Armed since becoming a Red Cross volunteer in January 2015. But her exposure to the Red Cross’s Service to the Armed Forces goes back to her early childhood.

She was too young to remember World War II events; but when later reading her father’s memoirs, she was struck by the many times his notes alluded to his “Red Cross parcels” and how much those parcels had meant to him and his fellow prisoners of war. Sub Lt. Tom Chapman, a pilot for Britain’s Fleet Air Arm, was shot down while returning from a bombing raid in June 1943. He wrote about his experience:

“I cannot explain how important our Red Cross parcels were. To me they were nothing less than a Godsend. Not only did it contain food, but soap, sometimes toothpaste, which we ate. And hope. Some dear souls cared about us. The Red Cross could sometimes reach us when our loved ones could not. We would all give a portion of our parcels per man to our cooks. It was amazing what [the cooks] were able to produce with [the Red Cross parcel portions and] the meager ingredients of bread and broth we received from the Germans.”  

Her father’s handwritten account of his time as a POW moved Suni so much that, upon her retirement, she acted on her wish to be one of those “souls that cared.” She became a volunteer with the American Red Cross, Service to the Armed Forces. Suni supports Outreach in the National Capital Region and Volunteer Orientations for Fort Belvoir and Marine Corps Base Quantico. She also plays an active role at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital and is part of the Pillowcase Project, a free, interactive preparedness program designed for youth ages 8 to 11.

Suni has participated in nearly 20 varied outreach events, including several deployment training programs, health and safety fairs, retiree appreciation day, military unit family events, the USO fall festival, U.S. Army annual convention/expo, Fort Belvoir full-scale disaster exercise, Red Tee golf tournament, monthly newcomers orientation and breakfast with Santa. She designed and produced presentations for use in addressing deployment training groups and general SAF outreach activities, and is currently revising the orientation presentation for prospective and new volunteers at Fort Belvoir and MCB Quantico.

Her continued willingness to help and her professional background in forensic artistry have served the Red Cross well. In all these efforts, her enthusiasm, dedication, creativity, and outstanding performance have resulted in her being recognized as a key asset for the Station.  

Suni is pictured above on the right, with fellow Service to the Armed Forces volunteer Bette Cook.

My Red Cross Volunteer Story: Vance Allen

Vance Allen has served as Chairman of Volunteers since July 2015 and as Volunteer Chairman of Donations for four years for the Service to the Armed Forces division at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital for the American Red Cross. Vance also provides twice weekly orientation briefings to all new volunteers to Fort Belvoir. During these events, he explains the overall experience and sets the hospital’s expectations.

Prior to these roles, Vance worked as a volunteer or the Red Cross in the Hospital’s Patient Advocacy office. In these liaison roles, he helped to resolve any patient issues while helping the Red Cross administration run programs. In these positions, he has become well known, respected, and highly regarded by the volunteers and staff. He has voluntarily taken on the unofficial role of “social director,” arranging farewell celebrations and other events for the staff and volunteers. The Red Cross Assistant Manager states: “Vance is a huge benefit to the Red Cross office. He is very knowledgeable and always helpful and friendly to all visitors. Vance has been beyond helpful to me in the three plus years that I have served as Assistant Station Manager. He is also a great friend.” These words describe how we all feel about Vance!

Captain Vance Allen served for eight and a half years in the Air Force before he began working as a civilian for the Federal Government. He retired from the Federal Trade Commission in 2011 with a total of 32 years of service, including military service. When asked about his long, dedicated government career and volunteer service, Vance noted that his husband, Doug, inspires his work.

The American Red Cross is always looking for new volunteers to help with reconnection workshops, emergency communications and other programs for Service to the Armed Forces. To volunteer for the Red Cross, visit www.redcross.org/volunteer and fill out an online application.

My Red Cross Volunteer Story: Bette Cooke

Bette Cook

Service to the Armed Forces Volunteer

"Volunteers are not paid because they are worthless, but because they are priceless."

I became a Red Cross volunteer when I retired from working for the Federal Government in 2012. I visited Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, walked into the Red Cross office and decided to volunteer!

My husband is a U.S. Army veteran and served in three wars. This inspired me to want to help wounded warriors. It was heart wrenching to see these young wounded men and women. I wanted to show these young people who were doing such brave things for our country that we admired their services. And I decided the way to do that was by volunteering with the Red Cross.

My first experience with the Red Cross was when I was a teenager. My sister was married to a service member in Japan and she was killed there in an accident. We were at home in Kentucky, and the Red Cross came knocking on our door. They were so comforting and it was so personal. They were there for us in many respects and I was so impressed with their support.

Currently, I serve as the Station chair at Fort Belvoir and Quantico Marine Corp Base. I assist the Station Manager and work with over 200 volunteers regularly. Our physical therapy clinic at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital provides in-patient and outpatient services to our armed forces. This includes wounded warriors, reserve, active duty, retirees and their families.

I support our outreach efforts by attending fairs and programs, where I reach out to military service members, families and the community and let them know about the services available from the Red Cross.

Being a Red Cross volunteer has been so rewarding and feels so good, every single day. I love when I am at the hospital or at an event and a military family comes up to me and thanks me for my service. It feels undeserved, I get embarrassed. I say you are welcome, but Thank YOU for your service.  

Want to share your story? Add it in the comments below!
Want to volunteer? Visit http://www.redcross.org/local/dc/washington/volunteer.