Veteran Dr. D'Angio Recalls Red Cross Acts of Kindness

by Heather Wedel, Communications Specialist, American Red Cross North Texas Region

World War II veteran Dr. Giulio D'Angio (now 92), former Captain and head of the 284th Medical Dispensary in the Army Air Corps was stationed on the air base of Kanoya on the southern island of Kyushu, the third largest island in Japan when he received what he calls "a pleasant surprise that the troops were still remembered in such acts of kindness."

A tradition since World War I, Red Cross volunteers would hand-knit heavy-duty wool Red Cross socks for the troops to give them warmth, a sense of home and to help prevent trench foot while at war. Dr. D'Angio states, "Trench foot was a real hazard for ground troops in active theaters."

Although Dr. D'Angio was comfortably housed, and not in high risk of getting trench foot, he still says that the Red Cross knitted socks brought a sense of comfort to him. While Dr. D'Angio was in Japan for his two years overseas, he received the socks by mail, he guesses around 1947. 

In February 2014, nearly 70 years later, Dr. D'Angio still had the Red Cross knitted socks and decided it would be best to return them to the Red Cross chapter that blessed him with them. The socks, along with Dr. D'Angio's letter written to the Red Cross Dallas Area Chapter are now framed and displayed on our Red Cross memorabilia display case.

When asked why he chose to return the socks to the Red Cross, Dr. D'Angio said, "Gratitude for your kindness. One good turn deserves another. I feared that they will be discarded when I'm gone, I'll be 93 in a few days, and I thought that they deserved a better fate."

To the volunteers that graciously knit the socks, Dr. D'Angio says, "Thanks again, and to all of those who followed, you do wonderful things for people who are in need of help."

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Dr. D'Angio now resides in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA with his second wife, Dr. Audrey Evans. After wearing the uniform for six years, Dr. D'Angio practiced as a radiation therapist for 50 years, specializing in childhood malignant diseases. Dr. D'Angio is a prolific author and has been honored by many national and international pediatric and radiology societies for his work.

Today, American Red Cross volunteers continue knitting and sewing for those who need comfort and protection. In our Dallas Area Chapter, our production room volunteers sew and knit blankets for children's hospitals, as well as cooling neck wraps for active soldiers made from military uniform fabric.

This week, between Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day, the Red Cross invites you to help us continue to provide vital services to thousands of military service members, veterans and their families each year, keeping military families connected during emergencies, connecting families with local resources and supporting wounded warriors and military hospitals. Join us in #HonoringHeroes. Visit Crowdrise.com/HonoringHeroes for more information.

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Small Hands Raise Big Change to Help Japan

A big thank you to students at Lawson Elementary School in Grand Prairie, Texas for raising $250 to support Red Cross relief efforts in Japan.

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Photos from Give 'Em Shelter Benefit Concert for Japan

On Wednesday, March 30, 570 KLIF presented Give 'Em Shelter a benefit concert for Japan featuring The Stoneleighs, a Rolling Stones tribute band with Point Blank and other special guests. The concert held at the House of Blues in Dallas raised more than $3,000 for the American Red Cross to support relief efforts in Japan.

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Social Media Club of Dallas to Host "Dallas 4 Japan"

On Thursday, March 24th, the Social Media Club of Dallas will host "Dallas 4 Japan," a networking event and fundraiser for the American Red Cross. The event will be held at the Aloft Hotel in Dallas from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Donations from this event will go to support the American Red Cross disaster relief efforts in Japan. Grab your tickets now!

We hope to see you there! Can't make it? You can follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #Dallas4Japan.

Watch this moving video and make plans to attend this event!

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Red Cross Launches Call Center to Help Connect Separated Loved Ones

The Dallas Area Chapter has been asked to support the Earthquake/Tsunami relief efforts by staffing a call center at the Red Cross location in McKinney, Texas. The "Response Center Network" will be manned by ten qualified volunteers who will be taking phone calls and helping families who might be trying to find a loved one in an evacuation site or shelter here in the United States. It is also anticipated that they will be helping families trying to find loved ones in Japan. Following the events of September 11, the Dallas Area Chapter also provided similar support to families trying to find their loved ones at Ground Zero.

The Response Center Network is an extension of our national headquarters operation and it's activated when a disaster overwhelms the capacity of any one call center.

The call center will be operational today from 3:00pm-11:00pm, tomorrow from 8:00am-11:00pm and Sunday from 8:00am-11:00pm and will be located at the American Red Cross, 1450 Redbud Blvd, McKinney, TX 75069

For people in our community trying to locate a U.S. citizen in Japan, contact the State Department at 1-888-407-4747. To locate someone in Hawaii or another U.S. tsunami zone, go to www.redcross.org and check the Safe & Well list.

To help the victims, a donation can be made by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. $10 will be included on your cell phone bill. Donations can also be made at www.redcross.org.

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Pacific – Earthquake and Tsunami: Disaster Alert

March 11, 2011

BACKGROUND

On March 11 at 2:40 p.m. local time, an magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck Japan near the city of Sendai, which caused damage and generated a powerful tsunami which struck northern Japan. A series of high magnitude aftershocks continues to hit the area. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert for all countries on the Pacific Coast.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• The Japanese Red Cross is assessing the full impact of the earthquake and tsunami and has deployed 11 National Disaster Response Teams to conduct assessments, provide healthcare and first aid and plan for relief supplies distribution. The Japanese Red Cross has not made any request for international assistance at this moment.
• A high human toll is anticipated in Japan and the number of dead and missing is rising as the impact of the damage becomes apparent. Initial indications that the worst affected areas are in northeast Japan in Tohuku Region close the epicenter and tsunami impact areas. The Japanese government has mobilized an emergency response, deploying 900 rescue workers to this area.
• Red Cross national societies in the pacific islands such as the Fiji Red Cross and the Cook Islands Red Cross are preparing for impact of the tsunami wave and have sent out alerts via early warning systems.
• The American Red Cross chapters in the pacific islands of Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam as well as west coast of the U.S. are on alert and stand ready to provide assistance as needed.

MAP OF AFFECTED AREA: Affected Areas in Japan – Japan Meteorological Agency

GLOBAL RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT NETWORK RESPONSE

Japanese Red Cross

• The Japanese Red Cross is assessing the full impact of the earthquake and tsunami and has deployed 11 National Disaster Response Teams to conduct assessments, provide healthcare and first aid, and plan for relief supplies distribution. No request for international assistance has been made from Japanese Red Cross at this moment.
• The Japanese Red Cross have indicated they are not accepting international tracing inquiries at this time but are assessing the situation.

American Red Cross

• Nationally, the American Red Cross has activated its Disaster Operations Center at its headquarters to facilitate the domestic response as needed for U.S. chapters. It has activated its ‘Safe and Well’ family linking website.
• Internationally, the American Red Cross is monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide international assistance as needed. Its warehouse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is fully stocked with pre-positioned relief supplies for 5,000 families and it has disaster specialists on stand by.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation)

• The International Federation’s Asia Pacific Disaster Management Unit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is taking the lead on International Federation coordination and support activities for the response.

The information in this report is compiled from a number of sources including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the U.S. Agency for International Development and involved national Red Cross/Red Crescent societies. The American Red Cross strives to provide the most accurate and timely information possible; however, all information should be considered conditional until a final report has been issued.

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