American Red Cross renovates, celebrates, memorializes

Photo By Darrell Melrose | CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait- Connor Jordan (center left) Michael Jordan (center right) Koby J. Langley, American Red Cross Senior Vice President for Services to the Armed Forces, (center) and Kenneth Romero (front left, kneeling) pose for a photo with Red Cross team members and volunteers after the ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand reopening of the Camp Arifjan American Red Cross center and the American Red Cross 136th Birthday, May 21, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Vanessa Rios)  

KUWAIT

05.22.2017

Story by Capt. Darrell Melrose 

U.S. Army Central   

This celebration was marked by a complete interior makeover, including freshly painted walls, all new furnishings, décor, and the dedication of an art gallery to a fallen Servicemember, Air Force 2nd Lt. Travis Jordan.
Jordan, who died by suicide in 2016, was a close friend of Army Capt. Desiree Dillehay, future operations officer and public affairs officer, 149th Military Engagement Team, currently deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.

“From the very first impression, he was simply good. You can’t talk about Travis and not talk about how kind and genuine he was. He left that impression on all of us,” said Dillehay, a Barnum, Minnesota native, who met Jordan while attending Public Affairs Qualifications Course.

Hit hard by her friends passing, Dillehay recalls that when she heard the news about Jordan’s passing she just sat in her car in her driveway, stunned, trying to digest the news.

“When a suicide happens, I think there is a small part inside each of us that wonders what we missed. This isn’t the first of my military friends that I’ve lost to suicide, but if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that a small act can sometimes be the difference, and we can’t blame ourselves,” Dillehay reflected. “We can only strive to be better at taking care of each other,”

Jordan, who was a lover of music and the arts, is memorialized by the Travis Jordan Healing Arts Gallery in the Camp Arifjan American Red Cross center, in hopes that visitors are inspired to use art and music in developing and maintaining personal resilience.
Jordan’s father, Michael Jordan, and brother, Connor Jordan, attended the May 17 event at Camp Arifjan, both were humbled and awed by the dedication of the Travis Jordan Healing Arts Gallery.

“I can’t express how grateful we are that the Red Cross and the military would recognize Travis’ service and his life by dedicating this rest and recovery center in his name,” Michael, a Yorba Linda, California native, stated. “It’s special that we could get this kind of visibility on this particular issue of depression and suicide, and create that conversation. That is kind of what I’m hoping will happen.”

Kenneth Romero, American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces Regional Program Manager, and his team have overseen the renovation of the Camp Arifjan Red Cross center, as well as the planning of the birthday celebration and unveiling of the Travis Jordan Healing Arts Gallery. Romero also discussed what the American Red Cross is doing to help with the solution for suicide prevention.

“(All American Red Cross team members) complete ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and psychological first aid training,” Romero said. “The American Red Cross is a twenty-four, seven operation …We’re here because we care.”

The American Red Cross centers are well known amongst most deployed Servicemembers. Capt. Kelly Bennett, contract and fiscal law attorney for the 29th Infantry Division, is a regular and frequents the Camp Arifjan center.

“The American Red Cross Center has been an incredible resource for me during this deployment. The Center has given me a space where I can work on my artwork and decompress from the work day,” said Bennett, an Attleboro, Massachusetts, native.

Due to the timing of the dedication of the Travis Jordan Healing Arts Gallery, Dillehay was chosen to emcee the event.

“I’m so thankful that I was deployed to Camp Arifjan at this time. Call it fate. Call it God’s handiwork. Whatever it was, this is what I can do to make things better. This is what I can do to help people remember Travis and to remind them of what we are fighting for. This is what I can do to show my gratitude to his family for bringing such a good person into this world. Travis’ light shines through this renovation,” she said.

If you, or someone you know are dealing with depression, or exhibiting signs of considering suicide please reach out to the American Red Cross hotline at 877-272-7337, Veteran’s Crisis line at 800-273-8255 or online at https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ . Help is available twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

• Date Taken: 05.22.2017
• Date Posted: 05.25.2017 01:55
• Story ID: 235027
• Location: KW
• Hometown: ATTLEBORO, MA, US
• Hometown: BARNUM, MN, US
• Hometown: YORBA LINDA, CA, US