My misadventures with the Red Cross
The thread on the United Way reminded me of some encounters I had with the Red Cross.
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew, having slammed Florida, reformed in the Gulf and hit rural Louisiana with 145 mph winds.
I was a Paramedic in central Georgia at the time. I got the idea of going to Louisiana and doing relief work. I was real good with a chain saw, I decided I would saw trees off of peoples' houses for free. A Paramedic buddy, Gary, said he would go with me. We got a few shifts off work, which gave us 8 days off.
This storm hit Louisiana on a Friday morning. It was about 6pm Georgia time I decided to call the Red Cross in New Orleans and find out what I should do. This was 5 pm Louisiana time.
A guy answered the phone. I told him what we were going to do, and asked him where to go.
He replied that it was very late on a Friday, and he was just going out the door. He said that he was the last person in the office, and if I wanted some information, I should call back on Monday morning.
You could have knocked me out with a feather. One of the biggest storms on record had just knocked major portions of his state back into the Stone Age, and the Red Cross was taking the weekend off.
An hour later, I got the idea to call the Salvation Army. Now, this was 6pm Louisiana time. The phone was answered on the second ring. I could overhear the noisy background, and tell that the Salvation Army was a beehive of activity.
The Salvation Army gave me the name of a Baptist Church in the devastated area that I should get in touch with, and urged me to come down and help, and said, "God bless you."
Gary and I got our three Stihl chain saws, and drove down to Louisiana on Friday night. We went to that Baptist church the next morning.
We saw sights that were unbelievable. Houses blown away, nothing left but the foundation. Telephone poles driven through concrete block walls. It is all the stuff you see on tv, but it is so much more vivid when seen in person. In an area a hundred miles wide, there was no electicity. There were no stores. There was no place to buy gasoline, there was no grocery store, even McDonalds had been blown away, the Hardees was there, but had no electricity, and the roof was damaged. You could not make a phone call. There were National Guardsmen everywhere, martial law had been declared.
The lead from the Salvation Army was great. This big Baptist church was in the middle of the area devastated by the storm. The National Guard had set up headquarters there. The Guard had set up a giant generator in the yard, and this church was the only place in the whole Parish with power. This giant church had a baskeball gymnasium with showers. About 50 Guardsman were quartered there. There were hundreds of refugees sleeping on the floor of the gym. Since they had power, they had hot showers.
Gary and I made this church our "home" for the week that we were there.
We could go there after a day of cutting trees, and get a shower and a place to sleep. Also, we got to know the staff there, and they got jobs for us. People would come to the church and ask for help, they had an oak tree on their house, the rain was pouring in, and they needed the tree cut off so they could put a blue tarp on the roof, and at least keep the house dry. Some crew was in from Arkansas wanting $2K for an hour's work. The lady at the church would get us the job, and we would go over and cut the tree off for free. Gary and I cut trees off of 23 houses. These were giant Live Oak trees, hell the branches were 20 inches in diameter.
Gary and I worked some very tough 10 hour days, helping the poor people of Louisiana. After five days at this church, one morning I went onto the front steps and saw the American Red Cross. They had pulled up in a nice new car. They had hung a big 15 foot wide banner across the front of the church, "Relief work by the American Red Cross." The Red Cross lady had a nice business suit, and high heels on. Her photographer took a picture of her, shaking hands with the lady from the church. In ten minutes, the Red Cross was off and away.
I asked the lady at the church, who I had gotten to know pretty well,
"Is this a Red Cross operation? I haven't seen them here all week."
She replied, "No, we have had nothing to do with the Red Cross. They have not contacted us until this morning. I have no idea who that lady is. We have been working with the Salvation Army."
I said, "Looks like the Red Cross is a bunch of phonies. Want Gary and me to tear down that sign?"
She said that she would appreciate it if we would.
Gary and I cut that sign down with our Buck knives, and threw it in the trash. The lady from the church had a smile on her face.
I learned that the Red Cross is a big bureaucracy that spends a lot of money on PR, but not so much money on actual work.
I wouldn't give the Red Cross a dime, but I do contribute to the Salvation Army.
One group that really impressed me was the Christians. I am not a Christain, although I do believe in God.
At any rate, we saw several Salvation Army mobile kitchens giving out food to the hungry, never saw a kitchen sponsored by the Red Cross.
Even better, there was a big Baptist church from Oklahoma that specialized in disaster relief. These guys drove a couple of giant RVs down, and parked them in the parking lot of a shopping center. This shopping center had been destroyed, the roof was torn off of the WalMart, and it was being guarded by two Guardsmen with M16s, with orders to shoot looters on sight. On the side of the RVs, like a WW2 bomber, were stencils of the missions they had worked, a hurricane in South Carolina one year, a tornado in Kansas. They had worked about 14 disasters.
These Christians from Oklahoma had set up a giant soup kitchen. They had 55 gallon stainless steel pots, and cooked up a 55 gallon pot full of rice on a big propane burner. In another pot, they cooked up 55 gallons of boiled chicken. There were hundreds of people in line, and sitting around eating the free food off of paper plates. There was no qualification to get the food, you saw a banker in line behind some homeless guys, next to a couple of relief workers from Georgia, behind them three Guardsmen. I have read enought of the Book of Matthew to know that these Christians were doing the work of Jesus, feeding the hungry, helping the poor.
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew, having slammed Florida, reformed in the Gulf and hit rural Louisiana with 145 mph winds.
I was a Paramedic in central Georgia at the time. I got the idea of going to Louisiana and doing relief work. I was real good with a chain saw, I decided I would saw trees off of peoples' houses for free. A Paramedic buddy, Gary, said he would go with me. We got a few shifts off work, which gave us 8 days off.
This storm hit Louisiana on a Friday morning. It was about 6pm Georgia time I decided to call the Red Cross in New Orleans and find out what I should do. This was 5 pm Louisiana time.
A guy answered the phone. I told him what we were going to do, and asked him where to go.
He replied that it was very late on a Friday, and he was just going out the door. He said that he was the last person in the office, and if I wanted some information, I should call back on Monday morning.
You could have knocked me out with a feather. One of the biggest storms on record had just knocked major portions of his state back into the Stone Age, and the Red Cross was taking the weekend off.
An hour later, I got the idea to call the Salvation Army. Now, this was 6pm Louisiana time. The phone was answered on the second ring. I could overhear the noisy background, and tell that the Salvation Army was a beehive of activity.
The Salvation Army gave me the name of a Baptist Church in the devastated area that I should get in touch with, and urged me to come down and help, and said, "God bless you."
Gary and I got our three Stihl chain saws, and drove down to Louisiana on Friday night. We went to that Baptist church the next morning.
We saw sights that were unbelievable. Houses blown away, nothing left but the foundation. Telephone poles driven through concrete block walls. It is all the stuff you see on tv, but it is so much more vivid when seen in person. In an area a hundred miles wide, there was no electicity. There were no stores. There was no place to buy gasoline, there was no grocery store, even McDonalds had been blown away, the Hardees was there, but had no electricity, and the roof was damaged. You could not make a phone call. There were National Guardsmen everywhere, martial law had been declared.
The lead from the Salvation Army was great. This big Baptist church was in the middle of the area devastated by the storm. The National Guard had set up headquarters there. The Guard had set up a giant generator in the yard, and this church was the only place in the whole Parish with power. This giant church had a baskeball gymnasium with showers. About 50 Guardsman were quartered there. There were hundreds of refugees sleeping on the floor of the gym. Since they had power, they had hot showers.
Gary and I made this church our "home" for the week that we were there.
We could go there after a day of cutting trees, and get a shower and a place to sleep. Also, we got to know the staff there, and they got jobs for us. People would come to the church and ask for help, they had an oak tree on their house, the rain was pouring in, and they needed the tree cut off so they could put a blue tarp on the roof, and at least keep the house dry. Some crew was in from Arkansas wanting $2K for an hour's work. The lady at the church would get us the job, and we would go over and cut the tree off for free. Gary and I cut trees off of 23 houses. These were giant Live Oak trees, hell the branches were 20 inches in diameter.
Gary and I worked some very tough 10 hour days, helping the poor people of Louisiana. After five days at this church, one morning I went onto the front steps and saw the American Red Cross. They had pulled up in a nice new car. They had hung a big 15 foot wide banner across the front of the church, "Relief work by the American Red Cross." The Red Cross lady had a nice business suit, and high heels on. Her photographer took a picture of her, shaking hands with the lady from the church. In ten minutes, the Red Cross was off and away.
I asked the lady at the church, who I had gotten to know pretty well,
"Is this a Red Cross operation? I haven't seen them here all week."
She replied, "No, we have had nothing to do with the Red Cross. They have not contacted us until this morning. I have no idea who that lady is. We have been working with the Salvation Army."
I said, "Looks like the Red Cross is a bunch of phonies. Want Gary and me to tear down that sign?"
She said that she would appreciate it if we would.
Gary and I cut that sign down with our Buck knives, and threw it in the trash. The lady from the church had a smile on her face.
I learned that the Red Cross is a big bureaucracy that spends a lot of money on PR, but not so much money on actual work.
I wouldn't give the Red Cross a dime, but I do contribute to the Salvation Army.
One group that really impressed me was the Christians. I am not a Christain, although I do believe in God.
At any rate, we saw several Salvation Army mobile kitchens giving out food to the hungry, never saw a kitchen sponsored by the Red Cross.
Even better, there was a big Baptist church from Oklahoma that specialized in disaster relief. These guys drove a couple of giant RVs down, and parked them in the parking lot of a shopping center. This shopping center had been destroyed, the roof was torn off of the WalMart, and it was being guarded by two Guardsmen with M16s, with orders to shoot looters on sight. On the side of the RVs, like a WW2 bomber, were stencils of the missions they had worked, a hurricane in South Carolina one year, a tornado in Kansas. They had worked about 14 disasters.
These Christians from Oklahoma had set up a giant soup kitchen. They had 55 gallon stainless steel pots, and cooked up a 55 gallon pot full of rice on a big propane burner. In another pot, they cooked up 55 gallons of boiled chicken. There were hundreds of people in line, and sitting around eating the free food off of paper plates. There was no qualification to get the food, you saw a banker in line behind some homeless guys, next to a couple of relief workers from Georgia, behind them three Guardsmen. I have read enought of the Book of Matthew to know that these Christians were doing the work of Jesus, feeding the hungry, helping the poor.
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Good to know, thanks for the info. And I COMMEND you and your partner on your actions. 0 -
Thanks for your work, Allen. You ever wanna come back down and pass a good time in the swamp (and I do mean swamp) let me know. I'll show you the real Louisiana.
I remember Andrew. Was able to get in touch with my Uncle in Bayou Pigeon. "What you need uncle?" "Ice,beer,gas,2-stroke oil, and beer." [:D]Launched my boat loaded down with supplies at Jack Millers and delivered the goods.
LA was lucky with Andrew. It went for the Atachafalaya River, a sparsely populated portion of Louisiana. Morgan City, Patterson, and New Iberia bore the brunt of the storm.
To show the difference in the populace of New Orleand and this region, after Andrew the new was interviewing a local. He was wearing the typical garb; shrimp boots, cutoffs, tank top, and welders cap. Said it was a good storm but they would rebuild and be alright. Unlike the "victims" of Katrina bitching about nothing but hot dogs being served at the Dome.[:(!]0 -
Did you ever hear stories from vets about their experiences with the Red Cross in WWI or WWII? I've heard it from dozens of vets from both wars. It was common practice for the Red Cross to set up tables at train stations, transit centers, etc, both here and in Europe, with donuts and hot coffee. After the GIs had taken a donut and cup of coffee the pretty Red Cross workers would give them a bill. That's right; the Red Cross charged GIs, even ones just out of combat, for a donut and cup of hot coffee. Real nice, huh? 0 -
When my grandfather died, shortly after I left boot camp (1967), I needed money to get back home for his funeral. I contacted the Red Cross and they declined any assistance. Some of my Navy friends, who were as financially strapped as I was, chipped in to help me get back home. Since that time I've refused to help the Red Cross in any manner. 0 -
One of my uncles was in the European theatre during WWII. In the middle of winter after working all night fixing a truck he a came up to a Red Cross station. They were selling coffee and donuts. I don't know if he was upset because they were selling them or if he didn't have the money and didn't get any. He never gave any money to the Red Cross. When I found out about this I quit giving to the Red Cross. Several years ago there was a major fire in my area. Many people gave to the Red Cross for the victims of the fire. It seems very little money made it to the victims and the Red Cross accounts seemed lacking in detail and very hard to find. I didn't donate to the Red Cross and I didn't need any help because of the fire but the news of the Red Cross donations did bring up fond memories of my uncle. 0 -
The red cross and the uw are at the bottom of my to give to list.The very bottom. 0 -
I heard of the same noble work by the Salvation Army during WW1 from my father who was in the British forces in England.
In Korea the Red cross also sold us coffee and donuts in our field unit. I got the impression they were performing an unpleasant duty. They sneered at the lowly EM who hadn't seen a white woman in a long time and shacked up in the BOQ tents.
Catholic friends have mocked the Salvation Army in their outfits with their tamborines and musical instruments but I look past that to the charitable good work they provide all those in need, asking nothing in return. If there's an example of Christian charity, that's it.
I've had no love for most charities ever since a published expose in about 1962 on how little money actually trickles down to where the donors expect it to go. Things haven't changed much if at all.0 -
I walked out of a Red Cross blood drive without donating. They refused to take my blood while I was wearing a sidearm. Said I might pass out, and come to, and be disoriented when I wake up, and grab my gun and start shooting.
One of the workers generously offered to let me put my pistol in her purse while I donated. Sure, lady...like I'm gonna let you hold my gun.
Anyhow, they wouldn't take my blood while I was armed, and I refused to disarm myself.
I never had a minute's trouble donating while armed at Carter Blood Care.0 -
Good info, thanks everybody for sharing. 0 -
I'd give $100 to the "UNCF" before i gave a nickle to the RED CROSS! [:(!]
Jeff0 -
Well when a hurricane comes thru SC don't bother to come see me if you feel that way toward the Red Cross. No need to put you in the shelter...stay outside and starve. If you change your mind I will feed you, give you a place to sleep out of the storm and harms way.
GW... certified Red Cross Operations.0 -
I've seen MORE than my share of hurricanes come through West Palm Beach, and them "Rat-Bastichz" Red-Crossers never even offered any one i know so much as an ice-cube, or MRE. I'll take my chances on the street,before i go to one of them DED Cross shelters...[xx(]
Jeff0 -
Much the same experience here.
Salvation Army asks for nothing and gives everything. We experienced this on several occasions in 1972 and following years with major floods in the northeast.
Red Cross flies the flag, but there are usually strings attached. Please... I'm not accusing them of doing nothing to assist. I'm merely saying that Salvation Army appears less interested in dollars and is more likely to be closer to those in need.
Blood donation is another matter. I realize that expenses are involved, but I also realize that giving blood is a humanitarian gesture. My understanding is that Red Cross charges per unit of blood. In other words, they sell donated blood.
Assuming I'm correct, then I find such actions repugnant in the extreme. I should donate my blood to an organization which turns around and sells it? I don't think so.
So there is that line. The line between a bureaucracy paying huge salaries to their anointed and a simple organization dedicated to the service of their leader... Jesus Christ.
I've merely decided which organization I'm more comfortable in supporting. I'd be the last to claim that Red Cross doesn't assist those in need, or that Red Cross is undeserving of support.0 -
+1 Bruce[:D] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
The thread on the United Way reminded me of some encounters I had with the Red Cross.
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew, having slammed Florida, reformed in the Gulf and hit rural Louisiana with 145 mph winds.
I was a Paramedic in central Georgia at the time. I got the idea of going to Louisiana and doing relief work. I was real good with a chain saw, I decided I would saw trees off of peoples' houses for free. A Paramedic buddy, Gary, said he would go with me. We got a few shifts off work, which gave us 8 days off.
This storm hit Louisiana on a Friday morning. It was about 6pm Georgia time I decided to call the Red Cross in New Orleans and find out what I should do. This was 5 pm Louisiana time.
A guy answered the phone. I told him what we were going to do, and asked him where to go.
He replied that it was very late on a Friday, and he was just going out the door. He said that he was the last person in the office, and if I wanted some information, I should call back on Monday morning.
You could have knocked me out with a feather. One of the biggest storms on record had just knocked major portions of his state back into the Stone Age, and the Red Cross was taking the weekend off.
An hour later, I got the idea to call the Salvation Army. Now, this was 6pm Louisiana time. The phone was answered on the second ring. I could overhear the noisy background, and tell that the Salvation Army was a beehive of activity.
The Salvation Army gave me the name of a Baptist Church in the devastated area that I should get in touch with, and urged me to come down and help, and said, "God bless you."
Gary and I got our three Stihl chain saws, and drove down to Louisiana on Friday night. We went to that Baptist church the next morning.
We saw sights that were unbelievable. Houses blown away, nothing left but the foundation. Telephone poles driven through concrete block walls. It is all the stuff you see on tv, but it is so much more vivid when seen in person. In an area a hundred miles wide, there was no electicity. There were no stores. There was no place to buy gasoline, there was no grocery store, even McDonalds had been blown away, the Hardees was there, but had no electricity, and the roof was damaged. You could not make a phone call. There were National Guardsmen everywhere, martial law had been declared.
The lead from the Salvation Army was great. This big Baptist church was in the middle of the area devastated by the storm. The National Guard had set up headquarters there. The Guard had set up a giant generator in the yard, and this church was the only place in the whole Parish with power. This giant church had a baskeball gymnasium with showers. About 50 Guardsman were quartered there. There were hundreds of refugees sleeping on the floor of the gym. Since they had power, they had hot showers.
Gary and I made this church our "home" for the week that we were there.
We could go there after a day of cutting trees, and get a shower and a place to sleep. Also, we got to know the staff there, and they got jobs for us. People would come to the church and ask for help, they had an oak tree on their house, the rain was pouring in, and they needed the tree cut off so they could put a blue tarp on the roof, and at least keep the house dry. Some crew was in from Arkansas wanting $2K for an hour's work. The lady at the church would get us the job, and we would go over and cut the tree off for free. Gary and I cut trees off of 23 houses. These were giant Live Oak trees, hell the branches were 20 inches in diameter.
Gary and I worked some very tough 10 hour days, helping the poor people of Louisiana. After five days at this church, one morning I went onto the front steps and saw the American Red Cross. They had pulled up in a nice new car. They had hung a big 15 foot wide banner across the front of the church, "Relief work by the American Red Cross." The Red Cross lady had a nice business suit, and high heels on. Her photographer took a picture of her, shaking hands with the lady from the church. In ten minutes, the Red Cross was off and away.
I asked the lady at the church, who I had gotten to know pretty well,
"Is this a Red Cross operation? I haven't seen them here all week."
She replied, "No, we have had nothing to do with the Red Cross. They have not contacted us until this morning. I have no idea who that lady is. We have been working with the Salvation Army."
I said, "Looks like the Red Cross is a bunch of phonies. Want Gary and me to tear down that sign?"
She said that she would appreciate it if we would.
Gary and I cut that sign down with our Buck knives, and threw it in the trash. The lady from the church had a smile on her face.
I learned that the Red Cross is a big bureaucracy that spends a lot of money on PR, but not so much money on actual work.
I wouldn't give the Red Cross a dime, but I do contribute to the Salvation Army.
One group that really impressed me was the Christians. I am not a Christain, although I do believe in God.
At any rate, we saw several Salvation Army mobile kitchens giving out food to the hungry, never saw a kitchen sponsored by the Red Cross.
Even better, there was a big Baptist church from Oklahoma that specialized in disaster relief. These guys drove a couple of giant RVs down, and parked them in the parking lot of a shopping center. This shopping center had been destroyed, the roof was torn off of the WalMart, and it was being guarded by two Guardsmen with M16s, with orders to shoot looters on sight. On the side of the RVs, like a WW2 bomber, were stencils of the missions they had worked, a hurricane in South Carolina one year, a tornado in Kansas. They had worked about 14 disasters.
These Christians from Oklahoma had set up a giant soup kitchen. They had 55 gallon stainless steel pots, and cooked up a 55 gallon pot full of rice on a big propane burner. In another pot, they cooked up 55 gallons of boiled chicken. There were hundreds of people in line, and sitting around eating the free food off of paper plates. There was no qualification to get the food, you saw a banker in line behind some homeless guys, next to a couple of relief workers from Georgia, behind them three Guardsmen. I have read enought of the Book of Matthew to know that these Christians were doing the work of Jesus, feeding the hungry, helping the poor.
Great post...very informative. Thank you for your service to your fellow Americans.[8D]0 -
Well I am glad to hear that someone else seen how the red cross operates. Let me tell you our story. In 1999, we had a F-3 tornado pass within a mile of our house. We stood on our back deck and watched in horror as the twister destroyed all the farms around us. After it passed we were on scene as leaves were still falling from the sky. The local fire department sent us to help out one family that lost everything. The only thing left standing on the farm were the milking stanchons from the milk barn. So my wife and I were there, sun-up to sun-down, for eight days with our bobcats and knucle-boom truck, helping with the clean-up. The Salvation Army was always around the first few days. Cold drinks, work gloves, hot meals, whatever we needed, they had. After a few days they would come around about 4 times a day to see if we needed anything. And where were the red cross? Well they were following the TV cameras around to all the different farmsteads to make it look like they were helping out. BULLS##T! They were not around at all, and if by chance they did stop by, it was just to snap a few pics. They are worthless! And, I might add that after we had finished, we had piled all the debris up to burn, the fire department showed up to help with the burn. Guess who rolled in at 6:30 pm on a Tuesday night with cold drinks and hot dogs to feed everyone. Not the red cross! I will never donate a red cent to them. And if you really want to know how they are, just ask anyone who had a farm destroyed that year how they feel about the red cross.
Got Guns?0 -
Quit donating blood to the red cross ten twelve years ago when I found out what they paid the top executive, I think it was sen. bob doles wife, correct me if I am wrong. 350,000. I tried looking it up but came up empty.
I will donate and have donated to a specific person in need.
Sorry I don't have the proof in front of me but maybe someone knows how much is paid to the exec,s and how many donated pints of blood it takes to pay them.0 -
Last info I saw had the CEO at around $416,000.00 for base pay.
Think that was a couple of years ago.0 -
This is a interesting site - Does not include religious organizations such as the S.A.
http://www.charitynavigator.org
See where the money goes!0 -
from newmediaexplorer.org
"Red Cross' Top Person: Marsha Evans
Top Salary:* $651,957 (FY ending 06/30/03)
Total Red Cross Revenue FY ending 6/2003: $2,946,000,000"
In this gloomy picture there yet may be glimmer of hope - naturally you will not hear much about this if at all....
"...One charity has stayed above all this for 137 years. The Salvation Army is unique among all U.S. charities for many reasons. Let#146;s start at the top. Commissioner Todd Bassett receives a salary just $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 Billion dollar organization. By comparison, Brian Gallagher, President of the United Way receives a $375,000 base salary (plus numerous expensive benefits) and the Red Cross President Marsha Evans receives $450,000 (the article was written in 2002 a whopping 50% increase in 1 year??) plus benefits..."0 -
IIRC.wasn't there some kind of scandel/scam with them and the money donated to the 9/11 families after the towers fell?..Loko. 0 -
...My experience with the Red Cross, as I've related here before:
..The day after the levee breaks from Katrina, I decided that I could load a truck with supplies (at my expense), and be down there within 36 hours.
..Called the RC and told them my plan. They suggested that I attend a seminar in Chicago the next week. (???) I informed her that these folks needed help now, not next week. Next, she asked if I wouldn't rather just donate my $1000, and forget the trip. "You can do it right now, over the phone with a credit card."
..Told her "No. I'm going. What do they need and where can I take it?" She had no idea.
..After an even worse experience with Catholic charities and a very drunk priest, I posted my dilemma on here.
..With unending thanks to Ramtinxxl, I got hooked up with a church in Baton Rouge, raided WalMart and a pharmacy or two, and delivered as promised.
..Hence, I have no use for the RC. I asked nothing of them, except "what and where". All they wanted was money, which of course is needed also, but looking a gift horse in the mouth is stupid.0 -
Oh the ARC..[:0][:0] they found housing and gave assistance in $$$$ for tenants of an apartment fire not long ago. 0 -
allen griggs, I'm humbled by your efforts and your charity helping folks in need in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, and believe me there's not a drop of my usual sarcasm in that statement.
It may not have been technically illegal for that AR crew to be charging such huge amounts, but they better know that karma has a way of coming around, baby.
It must be 50 years ago now that one of my uncles got flooded out, and the Red Cross came by the next day and handed out a couple blankets and some coffee for his family, then handed him a bill. I've never had much luck convincing people that their money would be much better spent on the Salvation Army than the Red Cross. Typically, people don't trust any organization that has any hint of association with Christianity, and want their money to go to a strictly secular group, regardless of how the money is spent or any real world action. I have to wonder how many anti-Christian types were at that Wal-Mart lot, finding themselves thanking God for a handful of boiled rice?
I'm not a religious person, I'm more in the higher power category, but you have to give credit where it's due, and for my money that's never been the Red Cross.0 -
Very interesting. This is stuff I need to know. Thanks for posting. 0 -
Tell them your good story [:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
http://www.redcrosstoledo.org/pages/good_stories.html0 -
Guess I am one of the few (thats admids to it) but having served in WW 2
as a 3rd Inf. Div Rifleman, saw only the good they did. When in basic training, the Red Cross club was a mainstay for us in the States. When overseas, was sent back to a hospital in France from Germany. Getting there, only the clothes on my back, so to speak. On getting to a hospital in France I was given a "blue ditty bag" with shaving equiptment, toothbrush and toothpaste. Also a pocket book novel, chewing gum, candy, and cigarettes. Seems this was normal from what I saw. Just maybe too damn many people expected too damn much from them. True, in combat, coffee and doughnuts were a bit out of the qestion for them to serve. At wars end we had a Red Cross Club near out Kasserne.
Yes, coffee or coke and 2 doughnuts were charged at one Mark (.10 cents) mainly as to keep the unused and uneatened doughnts from being
waisted and uneaten. So, if the turtle's had a bad time with the Red Cross, so be it. I didnt. As far as "train stops" we used 40 an 8 boxcars cars for a travel mode. No train stations usually or Red Cross nearby.0
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