By Catie Ballenger, American Red Cross
Every day, but especially on Memorial Day, the American Red Cross honors the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who have fallen in service to our country. This Memorial Day, we take extra time to remember and dedicate our work to those who sacrifice their comforts, freedoms and lives to serve our country, and we look back to our origins – serving soldiers in the Civil War.
Memorial Day (then known as Decoration Day) originally honored those who died in the Civil War. About 620,000 American soldiers died in the Civil War, whereas 700,000 Americans have died in all other conflicts and wars combined. So following the Civil War, a tradition of decorating soldiers’ graves on a day in spring was born. It’s fitting that the origins of the American Red Cross were found during that same deadly conflict.
When the Civil War began in 1861, Clara Barton was just another clerk at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C.. Barton’s great crusade, which helped define modern humanitarianism, began when she saw soldiers crowding into the city without food or shelter prepared for them. More importantly, there was not enough medical care for wounded soldiers returning from the front.
She began distributing food and supplies to sick and wounded soldiers in the area but soon realized there was an even greater need for her services closer to the battlefield. After receiving permission to travel to the front lines, she started delivering medical supplies and tending to wounded soldiers right on the fields of battle, often risking her life to do so. Eventually, army commanders recognized the good work she was doing and gave her responsibility for all the Union’s hospitals along the James River.
After the war, Barton continued her humanitarian work by helping relatives find the remains of 22,000 soldiers who’d been reported missing. She also helped identify — and bury — 13,000 casualties of the Andersonville Prison Camp in Georgia.
Barton urged the U.S. government to sign the Geneva Treaty that created the ICRC. U.S. approval to join the international organization came in 1881, and the American Red Cross was incorporated on May 21 of that year. After four years of this work, Barton took a break and visited Europe. But any chance for a restful vacation ended when she learned of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which had been founded in Geneva in 1864. She was drawn to its mission of providing international aid to protect the sick and wounded on all sides in war.
Now, 135 years later, the American Red Cross is still delivering needed services to 150,000 military families each year, including training and support for wounded veterans. We provide shelter, food and healthcare services at roughly 70,000 disasters every year, from single-home fires to earthquakes that affect millions. Our blood program collects, tests, and types over 40 percent of the country’s blood supply. The Red Cross also provides training in first aid, CPR, and lifeguarding.