American Red Cross Remembers Role During WWII, Pays Tribute To A Great Generation Of Volunteers

American Red Cross
Monday, 24 May 2004

Every American Family was Touched by the Red Cross

As the nation prepares to dedicate the National World War II Memorial to honor the 16-million Americans who served in the U.S. armed forces during the war, it is important also to commemorate the sacrifice and heroism of the millions more who contributed at home and traveled overseas to provide comfort, relief and aid to those in need. The American Red Cross has developed a special exhibit to educate the public about the unique and vital role that volunteers, donors, and supporters of the organization played during the Second World War. The exhibit is on view at the American Red Cross Visitors Center, 1730 E Street, NW., Washington, DC and virtually online at www.redcross.org/museum. Consider the following:

• More 7.5 million Americans volunteered for the organization, and it is estimated that by the end of the war nearly every family in America had connected with the Red Cross-either as a supporter or beneficiary of Red Cross services. A special "Roll Call" section of the virtual museum features profiles from just some of the staff and volunteers who helped during the war.



• Organizing the first, nationwide Blood Donor Service at the request of the government, the Red Cross collected approximately 13.4 million pints of life-saving blood from 6.6 million donors. The need for blood prompted other firsts such as the first mobile blood collection unit and the development, by Dr. Charles Drew, of a method for producing large quantities of dried rather than liquid plasma-extending the shelf-life and making it easier to transport.
• Red Crossers literally participated on every front and at every level. They transmitted more than 42 million messages between American servicemen and women and the folks back home. Knitting campaigns produced millions of socks and other comfort apparel. Volunteers prepared billions of bandages, visited with wounded soldiers and counseled family members at home. They stepped in to meet nursing shortages at American hospitals when U.S. nurses went overseas, and the list goes on.
• Of the nearly 1.4 million U.S. and Allied prisoners of war, many were able to return home alive because of the more than 27 million parcels prepared and shipped by the American Red Cross to the International Committee of the Red Cross for distribution in the prison camps. This is one of the most poignant but least-known stories from the war.

"Our historical resources staff has uncovered and compiled many extraordinary stories about ordinary Americans who worked and sacrificed to provide aid, comfort and care during one of the most difficult times in our history," said Steven Shulman, Executive Director, American Red Cross Museum. "Americans should be incredibly proud of their parents, grandparents and great grandparents -- this is their story about their efforts to relieve human suffering and literally save their world."

According to Steven Shulman, executive director of the museum, while the exhibit, entitled "Voluntaring for Victory," aims to educate, it also pays tribute to the millions of volunteers, donors and Red Cross supporters. The exhibit will be featured throughout the summer both at the Red Cross Museum in Washington D.C. and through their virtual museum on www.redcross.org.

For more information, or to contact American Red Cross, see their website at: www.redcross.org