ARC team offers link home, comfort

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Lynne Neveu
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  There is a one-stop shop here that offers books to read, candy to eat, videos to watch and a shoulder to lean on during times of trouble.

More than 1,000 books line the tent shelves, dozens of videos sit beneath a videocassette recorder and television, candy and snacks fill plastic containers, and a bookcase full of toiletries is within easy reach.

Every day, this American Red Cross team, assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, assists 50 to 200 people assigned here, said Brenda Hindman, ARC team leader. The primary duty of the ARC office here is to serve as the official notification authority for emergencies.

“By having the office on site, we get official notification quicker than if we had to work only with home-station offices,” said Chief Master Sgt. Kent Sisco, 379th Expeditionary Mission Support Group chief enlisted manager. “In many cases, once a person is notified, we are able to get them on a commercial flight out of here and on their way home where they are needed.”

Emergency notification is not the only way in which the ARC supports people here.

“The American Red Cross office offers toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, soap -- you name it, they’ve got it,” Chief Sisco said.

The items come in handy when luggage is misplaced or personal supplies are low.

“The ARC team goes out of their way to make things better for everyone here,” Chief Sisco said. “They don’t just work emergency leaves and provide supplies; they are pretty good listeners, too. If someone needs a person to talk with, I know (Ms. Hindman) is more than happy to be there for them.”

“Everyone over here has a hard job,” Ms. Hindman said. “But, the hardest part of our job is being so far from family and friends.

Ms. Hindman is able to empathize with the people she helps. She said she deployed here one month after her first grandson was born. Originally scheduled for four months, the deployment was extended to six months.

Ms. Hindman said it will be incredible to hold her grandson in her arms again.

“It has been so long,” she said.

The ARC typically deploys its members for a four- to six-month period, every 12 to 18 months. Before the start of the war on terrorism, ARC people deployed about every two years, Ms. Hindman said. Deployment time depends on the environment -- stable locations generally are six months, as opposed to four-month deployments for areas where there are increased hostilities.

Two people cover the office, alternating 12-hour shifts, seven days a week.

“The ARC doesn’t have set hours,” Chief Sisco said. “They run 24-hours a day. They will call the first sergeant anytime, day or night, to make the notification that someone needs to go home. This saves time, and a few hours can mean the difference in seeing a loved one for the last time.”

Besides assisting people here, the two-person team serves multiple military installations and embassy posts in the area of operations. All servicemembers and civilians may benefit from the services and programs offered by the ARC here.

“In my 19 years working for the Red Cross, (deploying) is the most gratifying thing I do,” Ms. Hindman said.

Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services people serve in nearly 1,000 chapters in the United States, on 109 military installations worldwide and alongside people in deployed locations, said ARC officials.