#TBT | Voices From Home

It's National Military Appreciation Month so naturally we were excited when we uncovered news articles about the "Voices From Home" program of the Vietnam era. 

From the days of the Civil War, the Red Cross has played an important part in keeping troops and their families connected. While the manner in which the Red Cross helps maintain communications has evolved, the spirit remains the same. 

The American Red Cross Charter of 1905 provided the official foundation for what is now known as Service to the Armed Forces. Part of the duties outlined in the charter include providing communication services between Americans and the U.S. Armed Forces.

During the war in Vietnam, the American Red Cross handled more than 2.1 million emergency communications between servicemen and their families. The Red Cross began a new program around the holidays called "Voices from Home," which made it possible for troops thousands of miles away to hear their family's voices.

Families who wished to participate in the program would record messages and thousands of these recordings were delivered to troops overseas. It was widely believed that the tapes helped boost morale. Separated families and servicemen often remarked that hearing a loved one's voice was the closest thing to being reunited. 

Red Cross Volunteers at the Chapter House in Arlington and across Northern Virginia helped family members prepare 13-minute tapes to be sent to the Red Cross Field Director who was located nearest to the serviceman's post or base. The Field Director would then privately play the tapes to the servicemen. Accompanying the taped messages were candid camera shots of the family as it sent its greetings. 

Each tape was highly individual. Families sang songs, children played musical instruments, young brides greeted their husbands, dogs barked, and cats meowed. 

"Words of Holiday cheer across the miles will be so welcome. Even the bark of a family dog." Mrs. James L. Baldwin, Chairman of "Voices from Home," Red Cross Chapter House, Arlington, November 1967.

#TBT | The Gray Ladies

The recent meeting between the original six World War II "Rosie the Riveters" and President Obama and Vice President Biden - as well as our recent celebration of National Volunteer Week - got us thinking about the women who served in the Red Cross during those first two World Wars.

That's when we came across the Gray Ladies. This group, mostly comprised of women, went through rigorous training to provide non-medical care to patients in military hospitals. They acted as hostesses and provided recreational services to patients, many of whom were injured during World War I. 

By the 1930s, the Gray Lady Service spread to other hospitals around the country, both military and civilian. Their services also expanded to include blood centers and providing assistance with disaster response. During World War II, the service reached its peak with almost 50,000 women serving as Gray Ladies in military and other hospitals throughout the U.S. Following the war, some Gray Ladies even served in U.S. military hospitals overseas. While the number of Gray Ladies decreased after the war, these women continued serving in American hospitals until the mid-1960s when the Red Cross shifted to a unified concept of volunteers. 

Our archives are full of pictures and news articles about these extraordinary volunteers. In this November 1955 article from the Daily Sun of Arlington, VA, local Gray Ladies are featured during the presentation of their service caps, pins, and certificates. These volunteers served at the Fort Meyer Dispensary, on the Bloodmobile, and at the Arlington Chapter House. 

For more information about these amazing women, check out this Red Cross retrospective. 

#TBT | Celebrating One Red Crosser's Contributions

This Throw Back Thursday post pays homage to a long time Red Crosser and dedicated staff member, Angela Shivers. Angela (pictured second from left) was a Junior Red Cross volunteer in 1966. In this photo, Angela distributes Christmas stockings to disabled children at the former DC Crippled Children's Society in Washington, DC.

Angela has a long history with the American Red Cross, serving as a Junior Red Cross volunteer during junior and senior high school, as well as volunteering as a "candy striper" at a local Alexandria hospital as a teenager. She's also a member of the blood donor Gallon Club through the State Department.  

Angela became a paid staff member with the Red Cross in 2007, managing a senior transportation program in Arlington, VA. She now works as a Program Associate in the Communication and Financial Development Department at the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region. 

We love this rich Red Cross history and celebrate Angela's many contributions she's made throughout her life!

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[Update: Angela joined the National Capital Region in February 2010 and is currently serving as a Grants Specialist in the Financial Development Department. On January 31st, 2020 she plans to retire and has no immediate plans for how she will spend her well-deserved life of leisure.] 

#TBT | The Story of Blood

We recently pulled this 1949 booklet out of our archives. It takes readers on a journey through our veins, providing basic blood facts and introducing the Red Cross National Blood Programs. It was a fitting discovery since January is National Blood Donor Month 

Just nine years before the publication of this booklet, the Red Cross took part in a processing program, called Plasma for Britain, for relief of English war victims. One year later, in 1941, the Red Cross began a National Blood Donor Service to collect blood for the U.S. military with Dr. Charles R. Drew, formerly of the Plasma for Britain program, as medial direct.

Since 1970, January has been known as National Blood Donor Month. It's a time when blood organizations like the American Red Cross pay tribute to the nearly 11 million people who give blood each year and encourage others to start the new year off right by coming to give the gift of life. We hope you'll consider making a blood donation appointment! 

Please visit Red Cross Blood Services for more historical information. Additional Red Cross history and significant dates about the Red Cross is available on www.redcross.org. 

#TBT | Teaming Up for Red Cross

1953 marked the beginning of a new program of participation by the sports world in Red Cross activities. In this August article from a local Arlington newspaper, we've learned that this specific baseball game, hosted in the Nation's Capital, benefited the Red Cross Blood Donor Campaign and kicked off a nationwide program to raise funds for this program through sports. 

Today, sports teams continue to show their support for the American Red Cross and many of its services, from blood donor awareness to disaster services and emergency preparedness. Recently, we excitedly announced a new partnership with the Washington Wizards, who is supporting our chapter and spreading disaster preparedness and awareness through a Red Cross night on January 22nd. We hope you'll usher in the new year and this new partnership by coming out to the game! 

#TBT | Holiday Happiness for our Troops

It's one of our core services - an unwavering commitment to members of the U.S. military, its veterans, and their families. And it continues to grow and develop more than a century after Clara Barton first recruited nurses to support the U.S. Army.

As the holidays quickly approach, we're reminded of this commitment as we prepare to spread the season's cheer. Not far from our thoughts are those military members, their families, and the country's countless veterans. 

On this Throwback Thursday, we've pulled a 1969 article from the Northern Virginia Sun about volunteers from the Arlington County chapter assembling 1,900 ditty bags for the troops through the Red Cross "Christmas - Vietnam" program. The bags included items like voice tapes, batteries, and nail clippers for the U.S. servicemen and women in Vietnam. 

Today, the Red Cross honors the men and women of the military during this time of year through Holiday Mail for Heroes. These cards and personal messages, sent by tens of thousands of Americans, provide a welcome "touch of home" for our troops during the holiday season - messages like this one written for this little boy's heroes, the Navy SEALs. 

Read more about Holiday Mail for Heroes in this recent blog post. 

#TBT | Musical Mission Moment

We're tickling the ivories with a Red Cross tune for this inaugural Throw Back Thursday post. Written by Nortier Simanungkalit, an Indonesian songwriter known for his hymns and marches, this National Capital Chapter composition highlights the key services of the Red Cross and the seven Fundamental Principles under which the organization operates. 

Break out your keyboard and sing along with us!

Lyrics: American Red Cross, National Capital Chapter, led by volunteers. Works tirelessly twenty four hours a day. Provides disaster services; Health, safety and emergency services for the people. Allegiance to humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. Teaches and improves peoples lives. Whenever and wherever people need help, Red Cross will be there. We are the first to arrive, and the last to leave. American Red Cross. We'll be there, we'll be there.