Mum an American Red Cross volunteer in Vietnam
Created by Stephen one year agoWhilst this post isn’t particularly work related, this Mothers Day (March 19th in the UK) will be poignant one for me personally. I marked the day a few days ahead of time by visiting and paying respects during some free time at the Vietnam Women’s Memorial this week in Washington DC. My Mum, Anthea, volunteered for the American Red Cross at the 3rd Field Hospital in Saigon from November 1969 and she volunteered for 18 months. She was in good company and followed a long line of other women who volunteered for the American Red Cross during times of conflict from WWII to Vietnam, affectionately know as the Donut Dollies.
The Donut Dollies are an often-forgotten piece of the Vietnam War, and in the program’s peak year, 1969, it is estimated that 110 young women helped nearly 300,000 servicemen each month. For me it is a great example of selflessness in a very difficult environment and in Anthea’s case visiting wounded American, Australian and New Zealand servicemen who were miles away from their loved ones back home.
Anthea, along with other women volunteers, would talk to those that could. These small acts of kindness made a world of difference to these group of special people. In the words of artist and cartoonist Scott Adams, “Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”
Anthea’s experiences in Vietnam stuck with her for many years later and she continued to help ordinary people where she could working for the Australian Immigration Service and Migrant Education (Department of Home Affairs) helping settle Vietnamese refugees in Australia. She subsequently did the same in the UK for Milton Keynes Borough Council helping settle Vietnamese refugees here in the UK.
Many American families will be paying their respects on March 29th. For this year’s Women’s History Month it’s worth checking out what these special women did.
More information on the Memorial and the Donut Dollies can be found here:
https://lnkd.in/dgwM4BQW
https://lnkd.in/diMDQAkb
https://lnkd.in/dzmjYZmQ
American Red Cross #Selflessness #SmallActsOfKindness #Volunteering#MothersDay #WomensHistoryMonth
The Donut Dollies are an often-forgotten piece of the Vietnam War, and in the program’s peak year, 1969, it is estimated that 110 young women helped nearly 300,000 servicemen each month. For me it is a great example of selflessness in a very difficult environment and in Anthea’s case visiting wounded American, Australian and New Zealand servicemen who were miles away from their loved ones back home.
Anthea, along with other women volunteers, would talk to those that could. These small acts of kindness made a world of difference to these group of special people. In the words of artist and cartoonist Scott Adams, “Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”
Anthea’s experiences in Vietnam stuck with her for many years later and she continued to help ordinary people where she could working for the Australian Immigration Service and Migrant Education (Department of Home Affairs) helping settle Vietnamese refugees in Australia. She subsequently did the same in the UK for Milton Keynes Borough Council helping settle Vietnamese refugees here in the UK.
Many American families will be paying their respects on March 29th. For this year’s Women’s History Month it’s worth checking out what these special women did.
More information on the Memorial and the Donut Dollies can be found here:
https://lnkd.in/dgwM4BQW
https://lnkd.in/diMDQAkb
https://lnkd.in/dzmjYZmQ
American Red Cross #Selflessness #SmallActsOfKindness #Volunteering#MothersDay #WomensHistoryMonth
Pictures
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