Dear Readers: I was asked to rerun a column that appeared in 1976 explaining why the American Red Cross charged the GIs for coffee and doughnuts during World War II while the Salvation Army provided it free.
A staggering number of readers had plenty to say about the rerun. Read on:
Dear Ann Landers: In August, 1943, while returning from a furlough to Parris Island, S.C., a U.S. Marine base, I stopped at the American Red Cross servicemans canteen in August, Ga. At that time you could buy the best ham sandwich in town for 15 cents. A Coke was a nickel. I ate the sandwich and drank the Coke right at the counter. The tab was 30 cents. I couldnt believe that this so-called service organization would gouge us like that.
C.F.C. (USMC Indianapolis)
Rochester, N.Y.: Don`t tell me about the American Red Cross. It happened 45 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. My crew and I flew from Oahu (Hawaii) to the mainland in a B-17. When we arrived at 5 a.m., dead tired, we cheered when we saw a Red Cross booth serving coffee and doughnuts. When we asked for a cup of coffee we were told, ''We only serve officers.''
Ralph E.D.
Laredo, Tex.: In 1943, I donated three pints of blood to be given to our boys overseas. In 1944, I joined the Navy. As a WAVE yeoman I discovered that the blood was administered to the wounded at $25 a pint which was deducted from their pay.
B.T.
Brooksville, Fla.: Can a 70-year-old veteran tell you about his experience? We were in the Belgium Bulge and having a rough time. What a tired, hungry, ragtag bunch of guys we were! Then lo and behold, we spotted a Red Cross tent serving coffee and fried cakes. Our chaplain gave us first the good news, then the bad news. We would be given time to get in line for a cup of hot coffee and a cruller. But wed have to pay for them. The price was one guilder, equivalent to 38 cents. Many of the GIs, having been in the field, didnt carry cash or they had none. Fortunately, the officers chipped in and we scraped together enough money so that no one went without. From that day on I had nothing good to say about the Red Cross.
Larry S.W.
Houston: Why did you rerun that column about the Red Cross? Once was enough. When things go wrong it`s always convenient to blame the British.
L.F.D.
Racine, Wis.: What a shock for us GIs to pay 20 cents for a pack of cigarettes and find a slip inside that said, ''Donated by Chesterfield.'' The same for Hershey`s chocolate. We really felt ripped off.
S.L.
Stamford, Conn.: A buddy of mine was in a California hospital. He hadn`t been home in more than two years. The guy went to the Red Cross for a loan. They said ''OK.'' The day before he was to leave they said, ''Loan refused. Too many missing papers.'' The story has a happy ending. The patients on his ward chipped in and he left for New York on schedule.
B.R.L.
If anyone at the American Red Cross Headquarters would like equal time to explain why I have received thousands of letters like the ones you have just read, I would be happy to hear from him.
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20423468? ago
An old Ann Landers column...
Dear Readers: I was asked to rerun a column that appeared in 1976 explaining why the American Red Cross charged the GIs for coffee and doughnuts during World War II while the Salvation Army provided it free.
A staggering number of readers had plenty to say about the rerun. Read on:
Dear Ann Landers: In August, 1943, while returning from a furlough to Parris Island, S.C., a U.S. Marine base, I stopped at the American Red Cross serviceman
s canteen in August, Ga. At that time you could buy the best ham sandwich in town for 15 cents. A Coke was a nickel. I ate the sandwich and drank the Coke right at the counter. The tab was 30 cents. I couldnt believe that this so-called service organization would gouge us like that.C.F.C. (USMC Indianapolis)
Rochester, N.Y.: Don`t tell me about the American Red Cross. It happened 45 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. My crew and I flew from Oahu (Hawaii) to the mainland in a B-17. When we arrived at 5 a.m., dead tired, we cheered when we saw a Red Cross booth serving coffee and doughnuts. When we asked for a cup of coffee we were told, ''We only serve officers.''
Ralph E.D.
Laredo, Tex.: In 1943, I donated three pints of blood to be given to our boys overseas. In 1944, I joined the Navy. As a WAVE yeoman I discovered that the blood was administered to the wounded at $25 a pint which was deducted from their pay.
B.T.
Brooksville, Fla.: Can a 70-year-old veteran tell you about his experience? We were in the Belgium Bulge and having a rough time. What a tired, hungry, ragtag bunch of guys we were! Then lo and behold, we spotted a Red Cross tent serving coffee and fried cakes. Our chaplain gave us first the good news, then the bad news. We would be given time to get in line for a cup of hot coffee and a cruller. But we
d have to pay for them. The price was one guilder, equivalent to 38 cents. Many of the GIs, having been in the field, didnt carry cash or they had none. Fortunately, the officers chipped in and we scraped together enough money so that no one went without. From that day on I had nothing good to say about the Red Cross.Larry S.W.
Houston: Why did you rerun that column about the Red Cross? Once was enough. When things go wrong it`s always convenient to blame the British.
L.F.D.
Racine, Wis.: What a shock for us GIs to pay 20 cents for a pack of cigarettes and find a slip inside that said, ''Donated by Chesterfield.'' The same for Hershey`s chocolate. We really felt ripped off.
S.L.
Stamford, Conn.: A buddy of mine was in a California hospital. He hadn`t been home in more than two years. The guy went to the Red Cross for a loan. They said ''OK.'' The day before he was to leave they said, ''Loan refused. Too many missing papers.'' The story has a happy ending. The patients on his ward chipped in and he left for New York on schedule.
B.R.L.
If anyone at the American Red Cross Headquarters would like equal time to explain why I have received thousands of letters like the ones you have just read, I would be happy to hear from him.
20423676? ago
It appears that the Salvation Army is legit.