America At War - On The Front Lines

America At War On The Front Lines
March 2003

March 28 and there are 24 American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services staff members on the ground in Kuwait, assigned with the 3rd Infantry Division, the 101st Airborne Division, V Corps, 377th Theater Support Command, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and Third Army Headquarters Forward. The American Red Cross staff members are living and working along side the men and women they are there to support. The conditions have frequently been harsh and difficult with horrendous dust storms and hailstorms. Now they find themselves in harm's way.

The role of the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services.

	Although the armed conflict in Iraq began on March 21, the first American Red Cross staff on the contingency team supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom arrived in Kuwait on January 25, when they joined three (3) Armed Forces Emergency Services staff members already on the ground.
	Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, the American Red Cross staff is available to deliver emergency communications between families and the men and women of the U S Military serving in the Persian Gulf Region.
	Since the arrival of the contingency team, they have handled 3,390 cases involving 9,555 emergency communication messages. Sixty-seven percent of these cases have dealt with illness and death of family members; 12 percent are birth announcements. The American Red Cross is averaging a 20 percent weekly rise in cases, and expect that to increase.
	The Armed Forces Emergency Services staff experienced ten scud and chemical/biological alerts in the first 24 hours after military action began. This required them to spend up to 95 minutes in bunkers, wearing gas masks or full chemical suits. Additionally, the Armed Forces Emergency Services staff at Camp Commando with the 1st Marines Expeditionary Force came under a rocket attack which landed within 100 yards of their location.
	Fortunately, all of the Armed Forces Emergency Services staff members are safe and in good spirits. They are tired because of the ongoing nature of the alerts and lack of sleep. However, they are continuing to do their jobs in the heights tradition of the American Red Cross.
	Marines of Camp Commando enjoy the canteen in the American Red Cross tent. The American Red Cross has received numerous messages from members of the military expressing the importance of the American Red Cross presence.

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