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John Buckel's first memory of the Red Cross came in the crowded streets of Dunkirk, France, in 1940. Germany had just invaded Belgium. Buckel, 4 years old at the time and living in Antwerp, and his family fled to France, hoping to escape. At the time, Dunkirk was also packed with other refugees and British and Canadian troops. "There was shooting, and we were caught in the middle," says Buckel, who is writing a book about his family's experiences. While the soldiers crowded the beaches and harbors attempting to escape to England, the refugees remained trapped in the city.
After six weeks, the Red Cross came to their aid, Buckel recalls. "We stood in long Red Cross lines to get bread, and they helped us relocate back to Antwerp," he remembers. The memories stayed with him throughout his years in hiding from Nazi forces during World War II, his subsequent immigration to Southern California as a 12-year-old, his time at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and his 35-year career as an engineer at Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale.
When Buckel retired from Lockheed 10 years ago, the Cupertino resident decided it was time to return Red Cross' old favor. "I felt I owed them," he says. Buckel signed up to be a disaster volunteer. Since then, he has volunteered at disaster areas in Louisiana, Oregon, Texas and, most recently, Florida, after Hurricane Charley. In Florida, Buckel was one of 13 Red Cross volunteers from the Santa Clara Valley aiding in recovery efforts.
"It was extremely rewarding," Buckel says. "The Red Cross was responsible for sheltering and feeding," he says of his assignment to Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. "I basically drove an emergency response vehicle. It was a very satisfying kind of assignment, because there were areas of desperate need."
In particular, Buckel helped meet the need for food, delivering meals over a large area twice a day. In the process, he navigated roads that were "a total mess," he says. "There were piles of sheet metal. Many houses were built on canals. There was minimal damage in front, but the backs of houses were shorn off—so it looked like a doll's house. The wind swept water from the canals through the houses and streets, and then back to the canals. There were looters. Traffic signs were down, road signs twisted around."
Even so, with locals alongside to help guide him, Buckel got through, often using a loudspeaker to let people know hot food such as beef and vegetables was available. "People were extremely grateful," he says. "Everyone thanked you, and once we even had a waitress buy us our drinks."
Despite the hardships—sleeping in a church, having one day off in three weeks, various snakes and the heat and humidity—Buckel says he looks forward to his next assignment.
"It's extremely satisfying," he says, "and volunteers are always needed."
For more information about volunteering or donating to the Red Cross, the Santa Clara Valley chapter can be reached at 408.577.2115 or by visiting http://www.santaclaravalley.redcross.org
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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer