Ww 2 Red Cross

[cadetat6]

Did the Red Cross have as high a rateing in the Pacific Action as they did in the European Action. ?

[Joseph P Carey]

The Red Cross is not one of my favorite organizations, but it has nothing to do with WWII.

When I was evacuated from Vietnam for the last time, there was a C130 full of wounded Marines and Soldiers going home from Clark AFB, Philippine Islands. We flew North to Alaska first, and we landed in the early morning hours of a very cold Alaska night. Mind you now, we had all been serving in the tropics just a few days prior, and for the most part, we were without any uniforms, most of us were covered with just a thin sheet.

Well, as we were sitting on the tarmac of the base, the tail of the C130 was opened and the cold air came in, and with the cold air came the Red Cross Lady with a cart of coffee and donuts. Except, she was not there to give coffee and donuts to the wounded on the flight, she was there to sell it to us! We were told in no uncertain words that she could not just give the coffee away.

After some of the men started to shout to get her off of the plane, she finally left, and soon enough, the tail door closed, and we went airborne again. Our next stop was in California, where we were met by a representative of the Salvation Army that was there to give coffee and donuts to the wounded servicemen, and to take any messages that the men wanted to have relayed home for them to their families.

Now! Ask me of what I think of the Salvation Army, and I will give you a very positive answer.

Now! As a side to this! My Dad was in the South Pacific during WWII, and I remember most of his remarks about the Red Cross were not in high esteem. He never really told me why!