During December we will be resharing some of our Blogs from the Year. This will allow us to showcase the incredible work our teams do every single day in the field. If you’d like to support the work we do- please join our Pack the ERV campaign by donating at redcross.org/Texas. Your donation allows us to continue to show up in your community every time it is needed.

In a moment of severe family crisis, Colten Kelley was confronted with a difficult decision that could have altered his life’s trajectory. But thanks to the American Red Cross, he was able to address the needs of his family without harming his future.

Logan is left and Colten is right with their grandfather

              Kelley, 27, currently living in Shreveport, Louisiana, was a U.S. Navy Petty Officer Third Class attached to the U.S.S. New York based in Jacksonville, Florida, during spring 2017. He had recently returned to duty after an extended leave when he received a letter from home telling him that he was needed back at home. His grandfather, Elbert Don Ivy, 72, who helped raise him as a child, was in declining health and under hospice care.  With his leave exhausted and unable to obtain permission to return home, Kelley contemplated the unthinkable – going absent without leave.

              “I started freaking out in stress,” Kelley said. “I told my commander ‘Y’all can either let me go or I’ll just face the AWOL charges and being court-martialed when I get back.’”

              Had Kelley made the decision to go AWOL, it would have dramatically changed his life. With a conviction and a dishonorable discharge, he would not be able to hold the position he has today as a commissioned security officer for the state of Texas. However, an empathetic naval legal officer informed Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces of Colten’s dilemma.

              When significant family emergencies occur, SAF obtains verified reports of family situations for service members and their commanders, enabling them to make timely decisions about returning home. Through its Hero Care Network, the Red Cross also helps identify and provides access to resources, including financial assistance, in response to a family’s emergency needs.

              Once SAF provided the Navy the necessarily documentation through an Emergency Contact Message, Kelley was able to return home and assist his family through his grandfather’s funeral. SAF provided similar assistance to Kelly’s brother Logan, a Lance Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps stationed in San Diego.

Colten is to the left and Logan in on the right with their grandmother

              Unfortunately, that is not the end of the story. Just four months later, Kelley’s grandmother, Charlene Ivy, 68, unexpectedly passed away. Once again, SAF stepped in to help Kelley and his brother attend to their family’s needs.

              “I had my bags packed and my truck filled with gas,” Kelley said. “I was more than willing to face what I was going to face after I came back. But the letter came. Because of what the Red Cross did, it kept me from being dishonorably discharged for going AWOL.”

              “It is just one of the things that I am most grateful for,” Kelley said.

              Kelley’s story is one that is one that’s familiar to Kimberly Knights, Red Cross regional director of Service to the Armed Forces and International Services. “I am a veteran and have used the Red Cross personally when my husband and I were serving,” Knights said. “I am blessed to be able to serve and give back to the military and their families.”

              For over 135 years, the American Red Cross has provided critical assistance to military families. Red Cross SAF works to strengthen families’ capacity to cope with the unique demands of a military lifestyle. This is achieved through preparedness briefings; mental health, preparedness, health and safety courses; health-care job certification training; and volunteer, networking and support opportunities—all delivered in local communities across the nation and on military installations around the globe. As a result, more than 1 million military families have been served since 9/11. 

              “Red Cross SAF is a continuum of care from which the service member enters the service to the time they leave the world,” Knights said. “We are there for their families and provide many services along the way.”

              Persons needing help from the Red Cross SAF may a 24/76 military hotline to the Hero Care Network at (877) 272-7337. They can also make contact and receive valuable information through the Hero Care app, available for free from most online app providers.

              The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information about volunteering or contributing to the Red Cross’s mission, please call 1-800-RED-CROSS, visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on Twitter at @RedCross.

Story By: David Guth