With thousand of military personnel still stationed in Iraq, the
American Red Cross continues to be the
vital communications link
between service men and women and their families at home. We send
messages about important news, such as a child’s birth, a serious
illness or the death of a loved one anywhere in the world, including
ships at sea, embassies and isolated military units.
Red Cross Finds Soldier in Time
for Mother's Surgery
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When Gabriella Szilagyi found that she had to have a serious spinal
operation, it was important to her that her son be at her side since
she had no other family to help her through the ordeal. Because he
was stationed abroad with the Army, she had no way to reach him
directly and turned to the Red Cross for help. Red Cross case
workers confirmed her condition with her doctor and tracked down her
son in Korea.
Within hours of her call to the Red Cross, her son contacted her and soon
rushed home to be by her side for the surgery. He stayed with her for 20
days during her recovery. The surgery was a success and according to
Gabriella, “without the unselfish coordination and effective assistance of
the American Red Cross, I would have had to face a major emergency surgery
totally alone.”
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Armed Forces Emergency Services Connects a Family
 With
her son Jason Gochez serving with the military deep in an unknown location in
Iraq, Analigia Balmaseda from Brooklyn was worried when she hadn't heard from
him in more than a month and was unable to contact him directly.
“We kept watching TV, trying to see if we could see him. We were calling
everywhere to find out what was going on, but no one was able to tell us
anything about his whereabouts.” Analigia said. “It was so difficult on all of
us, especially on my father, who hadn’t been feeling well.”
Analigia and her father, Vincent Balmaseda, contacted the Red Cross
and spoke with an Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) case
worker. Red Cross staff worked with the military and arranged for a
message to be sent to Jason that his family was concerned. When he
received the message, Jason received permission to call his family.
“We heard from him a few days after we sent the message. It was so great to
talk to him,” Analigia said. “If it hadn’t been for the Red Cross, he
wouldn’t have been able to call us. Everybody at the Red Cross was so
helpful. They were there for us 24 hours a day. Our case worker was
incredible. She was particularly comforting to my father and you could tell
how much she cared.”
Upon Jason’s return to the U.S., he went to visit the American
Red Cross in Greater New York with his grandfather, mother and
sister to thank their caseworker in person for going the extra mile.
“It was so nice to meet them and know I was able to help,” the
caseworker said.
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