The Legacy of The Red Cross
"...born of a desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield... to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being." (26)
Virginia C. Claudon Allen worked as a hospital volunteer for part of the American involvement in World War II, but when her fiancé passed away in a plane crash serving his country, she decided to volunteer for overseas duty with the Red Cross. Allen said, "You had this sensation that you were diving down to the very bottom of the ocean...with every roll. And then the ship would straighten up and everything would stop. So there was this sense of hesitation and no sound. And then -- and you wondered, Are we going over backwards? What's happening? And then we would go forward again. And it was terrifying, terrifying. But the Red Cross sort of had a feeling, and we had a sort of inborn determination to show no fear, to be extremely, extremely strong and stalwart." (27)
Virginia Allen (left) and Jane Bell standing
in a sidewalk with their luggage awaiting orders, Fort Belvoir, Virginia
1945
Virginia Allen (left) and Jane Bell standing
in a sidewalk with their luggage awaiting orders, Fort Belvoir, Virginia
1945
Today, along with domestic disaster relief, the American Red Cross offers a variety of services for the comfort of military members and their families. The American Red Cross also provides for community services that help the needy, processing and distributing blood and blood products to those who needed it, and also educates many on preparedness (28).