The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1922-11-09
RED CROSS HEALS
WOUNDS OF WAR
25,O00 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 IL the world
halts to observe the fourth anniver.
sary Of Armistlce 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 t. think
of the unparalleled contribution 20 the
cause of peace made by our Army and
Navy In the World War. The glory nf
1t Is common tradition; but the
wounds OF war remain. They are not
healed in a day. in year, nor in four
years. And on Armistice Day there
will be under treatment in Government
hospitals over 25,00O ex-service men,
broken physically by wounds, expo
sure, nervous strain and exhaustion
Incident to their service in the war.
The Government without stint is I'M
dertaking to furnish these disabled
men with the compensation and med
ical care to which they are entitled,
yet their especial care is a duty of the
Red Cross. Why! Because the Gov
ernment cannot handle the cases of
ex-service men individually; 1t 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
Is where the American Red Cross
finds its 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 from
the process of adjustment, furnishing
articles Of comfort, funds to tide over
the difficult periods, the friendly touch
Of personal encouragement, helpful
recreation and -dispelllng amuse-
ment. It is the warm hand of sym-
pathy and understanding which the
American Red Cross extends to the
majority Of these disabled ex-service
men, some Of them friendless in the
whirl Of life, thousands of them with
wives and children dependent upon
them, and hundreds of them frequent
ly helpless In the face of grim ne
cessity.
2,67e Chapters Aiding Veterans
In >his work, upon whose accom-
plishment the American Red Cross Is
urging 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 ex-service
men last year when approximately
$10,000,000 was expended by the Ma.
tional Organization and the Chapters
working together in harmonious unity
For the current fiscal year National
Headquarters appropriated $3,030,-
69290, an increase of $780,, ,560S4 over
the amount spent for the work among
ex-service men in the year ended June
30 last. Since 1t 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 $10,O0O,O00 mark by June 80,
1923.
Hospital and District Office Work
During the fiscal year total of over
!, 900 persons, paid and volunteer, has
been engaged in Red Cross duty in
hospitals or district offices 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
hasptto1 naftanta 10 anuctonf
During last year Service Claims and
Service at National Head
quarters handled 1920 compensation
md insurance claims, 24,560 allotment
ind allowance cases, and 9,700 miscel-
aneOus claims. Since February, 1919.
t has disposed of 64,174 allotment
.hecks payable to veterans which the
Post Office Department reported unde-
iverable.
The Chapter Is the unit of the Red
Cross organization which Is accessible
% every disabled veteran or his fam
ly. Between July /. 1921, and June 30,
922, the Chapters had reported 1885,
10 instances of service to ex-service
nen and their dependents, at a cost
stimated from reports now at hand Of
nore than $5,34O,000.
The basis Of this far-reaching work
4 the Red Cross Is the individual
eeds of the disabled veteran to the
nd that he may obtain his rights un-
er the law, that his especial wants
lay be Immediately supplied, that his
wn and his family's situation may be
sndered happy and cheerful, and thai
heir outlook for the future may
isualize Incentives for independent
nd fruitful effort.