By Ellis Levinson/American Red Cross
This Veterans Day, the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region honors Andrea Mullen, a military veteran who continues a life of service as a Red Cross volunteer. Veterans who support their communities carry on the mission founded by Clara Barton, who first administered care to soldiers on Civil War battlefields.
When Andrea completed nursing school, she joined the Air Force and served as an anesthesiology nurse for 13 years. After separating from the Air Force, she attended veterinary school and upon graduating joined the U.S. Army Reserve. For ten years she served as a vet, the animal kind, work that sent her to Kosovo to care for the military’s explosive sniffing canines. In her free time, Andrea volunteered to care for the health and well-being of the community’s pets.
Andrea joined the Red Cross as a volunteer in 2018 but didn’t deploy until early 2023 when a tornado hit Rolling Fork and Silver City, small towns in West Central Mississippi with populations of 1,800 and 200 people, respectively. Many of Rolling Fork’s 850 homes had been flattened, utility outages were widespread and water supplies were dwindling.
In preparation for deployment, Andrea spent two days in Los Angeles training in sheltering and distribution of disaster supplies. Upon her arrival in Mississippi, Andrea was assigned to sheltering but ended up spending most of her time distributing emergency provisions — including food, water, ice chests, shovels, rakes, and gloves.
One day Andrea and another volunteer drove three hours each way to pick up supplies from a Red Cross distribution center in Northern Mississippi. Another day, the pair went home to home amid the wreckage of Silver City to identify each household’s immediate needs.
“The friends I made on deployment were the highlight” said Andrea, “and the best job compensation is knowing I helped other people.”
Over 20,000 Red Cross volunteers are veterans — making up 14% of our workforce. Veterans hold many positions at the Red Cross from nurses to logisticians, emergency management experts, project managers and preparedness experts, as well as several veterans in leadership roles at local Red Cross chapters across the country.
For more information on becoming a Red Cross volunteer visit redcross.org/volunteer or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/la or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossLA.
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