 Helping Those Who Keep Us Free
by Steve Felde
America and the free world rely on the United States military to preserve and
defend democracy. The United States military relies on the American Red Cross when its men
and women need help.
Each Red Cross Chapter must provide Armed Forces Emergency Services. Through this
program, Chapters help members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families with timely and
reliable emergency communications, financial assistance, and other case management
services. The help is available worldwide 24-hours a day, seven days a week, during
peacetime and wartime, at no cost to the service men, women, or their families.
In Adams County, this important service is provided by a team including Beth
Dickerson, Dave & Judy Johnson, Betty Kamphaus, Pam Shaffer, Stacey Hibbert, Jennifer
Bell, Kirby Wiemelt, and David Moore. Team members take turns carrying a pager to provide
after-business hours and weekend 24-hour service. During the period July 1, 2001 through
June 30, 2002, the Adams County Chapter of the American Red Cross team handled 70 cases
involving members of the Armed Forces and their families.
On a worldwide scale, the Red Cross relays 4,000 urgent messages a day to service
men and women far from home, including notifications of deaths, serious illness and other
family emergencies. And in one year, the Red Cross provided more than 40,000 military
families with a total of 20 million dollars in financial assistance related to emergency
travel or personal crisis.
For more information regarding Armed Forces Services contact us at the above
address, call, or Email us.
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