The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-12-08
RED CROSS HEALS
WOUNDS OF WAR
$4,000 Disabled Ex-Service Men
in Hospitals After Four
Years of Peace.
CHAPTERS FIELD OF SERVICE
Every Veteran Needing Help Gets
Individual Attention of Sym
pathetic Workers.

When on November II the world
halts to observe the fourth anniver-
sary Of Armistice Day, and the Ameri-
can Red Cross inaugurates its Annual
Roll Call for the enrolment Of the
1923 membership, the people Of the
United States may well pause to think
Of the unparalleled contribution to the
cause Of peace made by u Army and
Navy in the World War. The glory Of
it is a common tradition; but the
wounds of war remain. They are not
healed in a day, in a year, nor In fou
years. And on ArmiStice Day there
will be under treatment in Government
hospitals over $4,000 ex-serrice men,
broken physically by wounds, expo
SURE nervous strain and exhaustion
incident to their service in the war.
The Government without stint is IN
dertaking to furnish these disabled
men with the compensation and med
ical care to which they are entitled,
vet their especial care Is q duty of the
Red Cross. Why? Because the Gov
eminent cannot handle the cases Of
e1-service men individually; it must
handle these men in bulk under a
standardized policy. The Government
has neither the authority, the funds
or the equipment for working out the
problem of the individual man. There
T. -hnrn thn Annoripon Rod Trace
finds it's greatest field for service, aid
ing through its very active Chapters
IN reaching the disabled man with i'm
mediate practical help, assisting his
family while his claim is emerging rom
the process Of adjustment, furnishing
articles Of comfort, funds to tide over
the difficult periods, the friendly touch
Of personal encouragement, helpful
recreation and worry-dispelling amuse-
ment. ut is the warm hand Of SYM
patty and understanding which the
American Red Cross extends to the
majority Of these disabled e~1-service
men. some of them friendless in the
whirl Of life, thousands of them with
wives and children dependent upon
them, and hundreds Of thssn frequent
" helpless in the face Of grim ne
cessity.
2,67e Chapters Aiding Veterans
In this work, upon whose accom-
plishment the American Red Cross is
urging a record-breaking enrolment In
the Roll Call which opens on ARMS
tice Day and closes with Thanksgiv-
ing Day, 2,679 Chapters In all parts OF
the country are engaged. This is $50
more than were working for e~1-seryice
men last year when approximately
S1o,000,0N0 was expended by the Ma
tional Organization and TIE Chapters
working together in harmonious unity.
For tbs current fiscal year National
Headquarters appropriated $685.
$3.50, an Increase of $685., 56o.A vs.
the amount spent for the work among
e~x-service men in the year ended june
80 last. Since It Is estimated that the
Chapters will expend close to $1,000.
600 from their own funds, the grand
total Of Red Cross expenditures for
this single work is expected again to
reach the 100000 mark by June 80.
1923.
Hospital and District Office Work
During the fiscal year a total Of over
1000 persons, paid and volunteer, has
been engaged in Red Cross duty in
hospitals or district ofices Of the U. S.
Veterans Bureau. An average Of 5000
new cases requires definite and par.
ticular attention each month. The de-
mand for Chapter-made articles for
hospital patients Is constant.
During last year Service Claims and
Information Service at National Head
quarters handled $1,000 compensation
and insurance claims. 24,56O allotment
and allowance cases. and 9,7o0 miscei-
laneous claims. Since February, 1919.
It has disposed of 84,174 allotment
checks payable to veterans which the
Post Office Department reported undo
Iiverable.
The Chapter Is the unit OF the Red
Cross organization which Is accessible
to every disabled veteran or his fam'
ily. Between July I, 1921, and June 30,
1922, the Chapters had reported 1885,
O79 Instances Of service to ex-servlce
men and their dependents, at q cost
estimated from reports now at hand Of
more than S5s340.000.
The basis Of this ~far-reaching work
of the Red Cross is the individual
needs Of the disabled veteran to the
end that he may obtain his rights un-
der the law, that his especial wants
may be Immediately supplied, that hia
" and his family's situation may oe
rendered happy and cheerful, .ad that
their outlook for the future may
visualize incentives for Independent
and fruitful effort.
Spread Christmas Joy Abroad