Memorial Day: Honoring the Fallen

Barbecues, swimming pools, baseball games, road trips. Memorial Day is often celebrated with one or two of the aforementioned activities. For most, it’s the first three-day weekend of the New Year and a great opportunity to take a short vacation, but the May flowers and sunshine make it easy to forget the actual meaning of the holiday.

There are several different accounts concerning the origin of Memorial Day, but each one was developed with the same goal in mind–to remember those who died while in service to our nation. Members of the military are not just soldiers, but fathers and mothers, sons and daughters.

Military members like Kentucky Army National Guard Sergeant Darrin Potter. Darrin was an MP in the Army National Guard serving in Iraq. He was the first Kentucky Army National Guardsman to die in combat since Vietnam. Darrin’s mother, Lynn Romans, has worked at the Louisville Area Chapter for 21 years. She says that after the passing of her son on September 29, 2003, her extended families at the National Guard and Red Cross helped her make it through the tough times.

Since Darrin's passing, Lynn has become an active member of Gold Star Mothers, a group for mothers of fallen soldiers, and a Fort Knox outreach and support group for the loved ones of fallen soldiers. She is also involved with National Guard youth programs.

Today is a day to honor Darrin and other soldiers who have fallen while defending our country. May their sacrifice never be forgotten.



For information on Red Cross Service to Armed Forces, please visit redcross.org.

A Hand Helping Another Hand - Marcos Cabrera

Red Cross volunteers represent a variety of cultures and backgrounds. When they dedicate time to our organization, they bring along with them a unique skill set, forged through their own life experiences.

Louisville Area Chapter Board Chair Dick Swope presents Marcos Cabrera with a Volunteer Rookie Award at the 2011 Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on October 27.

Volunteers in our path are the blaze

that move us ahead with a strong gaze.

The words above are an excerpt from Marcos Cabrera’s poem “Red Cross Volunteers.” Marcos began writing poetry in 1965, just after moving to the United States from the Dominican Republic. He has  written more than 2,000 poems about love and life, carrying a notebook and pen with him at all times, prepared for inspiration to strike at any moment.

Marcos has published three books of poems. He is currently promoting the third in the Dominican Republic. Writing poetry keeps him busy, but after retiring, he felt the need to give back to the community and finally had the time to do so.

In March of 2011, Marcos visited the Fort Knox Red Cross Service Center to become a volunteer. He was first asked to work with “Helping Hands,” a program that provides food, clothing and household goods to qualified military families in the Fort Knox area. In a matter of a few months, Marcos went from spending one or two hours with “Helping Hands” to dedicating the majority of his free time to Fort Knox special events and programs including the Run for the Red 5/10K, the Xtreme Youth Volunteer Program and the Camp Red Challenge where kids participate in outdoor activities while learning disaster preparedness and basic first aid.

His positive attitude and motivation to help wherever needed earned him a Volunteer Rookie award at the Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on October 27, 2011.

"His dedication to serving the soldiers and families on Fort Knox show his greatest ability, selfless service," said Fort Knox Service Center Manager May Giulitto.

Marcos served in the U.S. Army for 20 years and has been assisted by Red Cross services to armed forces. In July of 1984, while Marcos was stationed in Greece, his father passed away. The Red Cross helped him communicate with his family and helped cover travel expenses in order for him to return to the Dominican Republic for his father’s funeral.

“I feel good when I can help a soldier because I was a soldier," Marcos said. "I know the things they go through."

Marcos said he volunteers for the Red Cross because he gets a chance to help others and work with a group of positive people willing to give something back to the community.

“The main idea is a hand helping another hand,” Marcos said. “You can’t always give what people need, but you can give what you have.”

Heroes on the Town

The Heroes Campaign continued this past weekend with two major events that attracted the strong, brave and single alike. Our call center’s Yellow Ribbon Warriors hosted “Win a Date with a Service Man” at the Red Star Tavern Friday night. Dates with fifteen of the military’s finest were auctioned off to the highest bidder. Participants also accepted push-up challenges from ‘civilians.’ Those who brought their A-game left with Red Star gift cards.

Saturday 10 brave cyclists took on our chapter’s first “Ride for the Red” at Cherokee Park. Riders began at 6 p.m. Saturday and concluded at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Our chapter’s own Logan McCulloch completed 50 laps at “Ride for the Red”—that totaled 119 miles!

Together the two events raised over $1,400 for the Heroes Campaign!