This Fourth of July has a lot in store for us, but along with the picnics, fireworks, and fun, the holiday can also be a time to remember those who serve and protect our country.
We at the American Red Cross offer thanks to those in the military who are serving at home and abroad this Fourth of July, and those who have died or were injured.
Many don't know this, but our commitment to the military is how the American Red Cross received its start. In April 1861, Clara Barton established an agency to obtain and distribute supplies to wounded soldiers. In July 1862, she obtained permission to travel behind the lines, eventually reaching some of the grimmest battlefields of the war and serving during the sieges of Petersburg and Richmond. Barton delivered aid to soldiers of both the North and South. Referred to as the "Angel of the Battlefield," Barton went on to found the American Red Cross, and always placed an emphasis on serving our members of the Armed Forces.
Today, her legacy continues as the American Red Cross provides Services to the Armed Forces. Both active duty and community-based military can count on the Red Cross to provide emergency communications that link them with their families back home, access to financial assistance in partnership with the military aid societies, information and referral and assistance to veterans. Red Cross personnel form a global network in 700 U.S. chapters, military installations worldwide and in forward deployed locations in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Become a Service to Armed Forces Volunteer today, and help serve those who have served our country. From all of us at the American Red Cross Central Valley, we wish you and yours a safe and happy Fourth of July!
