By: Paige Randall, American Red Cross Volunteer

In the Red Cross break room at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, volunteer Sharon Berg’s face lights up as she pulls out photographs and memorabilia she brought with her to our interview at the facility within Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

“This is me in my uniform stationed at Whidbey,” she said, pointing. “And this is a letter I received when I was chosen as a JBLM Volunteer of Merit.”

There’s Sharon in the supply closet, a photo of her in her volunteer vest, a more recent photo in her Navy dress uniform — in short, an abundance of evidence that supports a lifetime of service. But of course, photos only barely skim the surface of all the things that Sharon has accomplished.

Sharon Berg is originally from Centralia, Washington, but her decision after high school to join the Women’s Army Corps in 1970 took her far and wide, from Japan to Whidbey Island Naval Station and everywhere in between.

“I was very shy,” she recalled. “I went to basic training and hardly ever spoke, and then I thought to myself ‘You need to swim or you’re going to sink.’”

She started to stick up for herself and ended up staying in the Women’s Army Corps for several years until it disbanded. However, this period wasn’t enough to satisfy Sharon’s desire to serve.

Wanting to stick with the military, Sharon ended up going into the Navy. After a stint at a Naval bootcamp and religious specialist school, she became a Religious Program Specialist. This was her dream job in the Navy.

“Chaplains don’t try to convert people or tell them what is wrong or right,” she said. The chaplains, and by extent Sharon, were there to help the soldiers with any struggles that may have arisen during their service. Active in her own church community, Sharon explained she has always felt a draw to support soldiers and help them through difficult times, whether they themselves are religious or not.

This draw is what led Sharon, who has now been retired from the military for 31 years, to Madigan Army Medical Center, located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, about nine years ago. On a visit to Madigan, she happened to walk into the Chaplains Office to ask for directions. “The next thing I know, I was taking my HIPPA training and that was that,” she chuckled.

As a Red Cross volunteer at Madigan, Sharon’s responsibilities are somewhat reminiscent of her old duties in the Navy — she works with the enlisted soldiers assigned to the Chaplain, helps set up for religious services, and handles supplies. Now, as she continues to volunteer well into her retirement years, Sharon says people still ask her why she does it. In reply, she lets them know that she loves the people that she works with.

“I think it’s a good organization, and they’ve helped me out tremendously,” said Sharon, referring to the Red Cross.

Sharon’s military background and her Red Cross experience have actually intersected before, several years ago when she was stationed in Germany. Unfortunately, her mother became ill and passed away while she was overseas. The message was relayed to her by a commanding officer, and with the help the Red Cross, she was able to fly home to help her family and attend the funeral.

“The amazing part,” Sharon said, “was how fast they got the message to me.”

While at the funeral, Sharon spoke with her brother about her experience learning their mother had passed. They did the math, and found out that just 45 minutes had passed from the time Sharon’s brother had notified the Red Cross in the United States to when Sharon received the message in Germany. 

Now that Sharon is one of the many Red Cross volunteers herself, she shows no desire to stop, even at the age of 76. She’s at Madigan four days a week, but as she said, “If they need me more, I’m here. If I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it, and I like what I do.”

Throughout her service in both the military and the Red Cross, Sharon has been recognized several times for all that she has done. But speaking with her, it’s clear that awards have nothing to do with what she is doing—hers is the kind of service that comes from a desire to make the world a better place.