Show things I 1 never kioto til now about the red bed cross B back a ck in 1923 japan suffered the wor worst t disaster in its history next to the one they asked for on december cern ber 7 an earthquake devastated an area of 0 fifty square miles taking a toll tell of more than lives the city of yokohama was totally destroyed by fire as was most pt tokyo president coolidge promptly called on the american people to come to japans aid with five million dollars the citizens of this country coubry trampled over each other rushing to help the J japs aps and the sum was subscribed in n a mere ten days but america stop there the dollars kept pouring in until the red cross had almost twelve million dollars lor for japan when that nation needed a friend this however Is the bitter irony the japs were so appreciative precia tive that they set aside three million dollars of the american red cross relief funds to build a memorial memoria I 1 fraternity hospital in the earthquake area as a permanent testimonial of japans gratitude to the united red cross nurses attached to the U S army are 0 officers with the rank of second lieutenant and privates are strictly prohibited by ar army my regulations from trying to date them or make passes at them in the navy the nurses are ensigns the army requires its red cross nurses to carry helmets and gas masks just like the soldiers BOl diers rs and no wonder in the last war american nurses lost their lives in the service of their country contributors to the red cross have the best guarantee in the world that there wont be any bokus with the funds because its books are audited annually by the war department and reported to congress the red cross operating expenses are the lowest of any organization organ hatlon in the country less than four per cent of the money collected you can check it in any public library in the congressional record the women who are members of the red cross motor corps must furnish their own automobiles and gasoline as well as foot their own parking bills during the current emergency required to serve cerve one shift of eight hours each week and be on call twenty four hours a day the girls take a six week training course and one thing taught Is how to repair a car themselves airedale terriers play an important part in the work of the red cross la in wartime the dogs are sent out on the battlefields to locate wounded men they carry containers of water and after letting the soldier quench his thirst they race back to the stretcher bearers and lead them to the injured man in england the red cross dogs are furnished with gas masks the first war in which the amerlean american red cross took part was the spanish american fracas clara barton founder of the american branch had her hospital next to major leonard woods tent at siboney one day a fellow officer of major woods stamped into her hospital with a sack in his hand band 1 I have some sick men in my regiment be bellowed and they want whatever delicacies you have here ill pay tor for them out of my own pocket will you sell them to me not tor for a million dollars clara replied 1 I NEED that stuff protested the officer shoving out his bis jaw 1 I think a lot of my men im proud of them were proud of them too retorted clara but we cant sell hospital delicacies we give them chuckling the officer filled his sack and stamped out which is how col teddy roosevelt became a red cross fan A red cross can be displayed ayed only by the red cross society according to an act of congress s with the exception of army navy and marine corps medical authorities anyone else who uses a red cross is liable to a fine and a year in jail there are a million and a half red cross volunteers in the united states volunteers receive no pay end and must buy their own uniforms more they must serve hours before permitted to put on their uniforms on the bulletin board of the red cross in L A is this reminder ret dont forget arget that thumbs up 1 can be done with one hand while the other hand digs 11 buy defense bonds war prisoners of all nations are looked after and protected by the international red cross which sets minimum standards of treatment and makes inspections of prison camps the red cross handles bandies all communications between prisoners and their families every nation at war sends fiends the names and addresses of their prisoners to the international red cross headquarters in geneva switzerland where an index of information about prisoners Is kept for the benefit of rela tives |