The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-08-12
LOOKING after
FAMILY OF
The SOLDIERS
The Home Service Of the American
Red Cross Is Lending a Help
ting Hand.
(By w. Frank Persons.)

10y w VI oOho'v
A Maryland boy discharged from
the Army after developing tubercu-
losis returned to his home to get well.
A Red Cross Home Service worker
who knew her business talked with
the family physician and called on the
family with a tactful offer of assist
ance. Fortunately little aid was need
ed. The people were intelligent and
already knew something of the ma
ture, treatment, and prevention of the
disease. The boy was having good
care and the other members of the
family were being protected.
1t remained only to help with in
formation about the War Risk lnsur-
ance Law and the filling out of the
application for compensation. But
the soldier and his mother were
somewhat surprised and affected by
the friendly yet restrained an dsensi-
BILE manifestation of interest in him
after he had supposed he was all done
with the glory of service and was only
a sick and forgotten civilian. ut is
these things you are doing for us that
make us want to fight harder than
ever" said the lad to the Home Ser
vice visitor as she left, with several
new friends to her credit.
Here in a word is what the Red
Cross is trying to do through the
Home Service Section of each of its
thousands of Chapters for every dis
abled soldier or sailor who leaves the
service in need of any advice or help.
1t is trying to make these boys want
to fight harder than ever But now
they are fighting a new battle; long,
hard fight for themselves, for their
physical, mental, and economic recov-
cry, for their own future of self-sup-
port and usefulness to the commun-
ity.
Home Service is buttressing their
morale through constant, quiet effort
to remove every occasion for worry
about their home affairs. Does it
work? Ask the men. 81 want to
extend by sincere thanks to YOU
wrote one of them, for going to aid
my wife and child whom l asked you
to help last week. / can soldier bet
ter now" Another, on the way to
camp, stopped at the Red Cross Of
fee in an eastern city ald said, Il
want to tell you what it means to me
to know that if my mother should be
lonely or sick. of if anything should
happen to her you will be there to
stand by her and set things right
These and hundreds of other letters
make us believe that those also serve
who help the families of soldiers and
sailors in quiet villages and crowded
cities all over America.
More Than Money Relief
Home Service means least of all
giving money relief. The Government
has generously provided for financial
assistance to dependent relatives. The
Red Cross does not hesitate to sup
plement the Government allowances
in cases of special need and is often
able to tide over critical period by
a timely loan until the Government
money arrives, But first and fore
most Home Service means just what
the name implies.
1t never intrudes itself on the fam
lily, but in suitable ways, through
group meetings, posters, letters to
soldiers, makes known that it is al
ways ready on call to respond to the
least intimation of need. In every
camp, on every transport, and with
the Various commands in France there
is Red Cross representative whose
sole duty it is to mingle with SOL
diers in man-to-man fashion and
place the whole machinery of the
Home Service organization at the dis
posal of all who are concerned about
family affairs in which any outside
friend can be Of assistance.
Contact Between Man and Family
For instance, If the Associate Field
Director finds that Private Johnson of
Iowa. is worrying over letter from
home, he writes at once to the Home
Service Section of the mans county
or town and suitable aid is immedi-
ately forthcoming. Likewise when the
soldier is in the hospital another Red
Cross representative is on duty to
write letters home telling of the pa
tents progress toward recovery and
establishing such direct contact be-
tween the man and his family and the
local Red Cross workers as will en-
able the whole procedure OF assist
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