Photo By Tech. Sgt. Melissa Sterling | Lt. Col. Allan Slavin, the 442d Fighter Wing Logistics Readiness Squadron commander,...... read more read more
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As the 442d Logistics Readiness Squadron commander, Lt. Col. Allan Slavin has spent many years bringing the right supplies to people exactly when they needed it, so he decided to use these skills for the American Red Cross.
Slavin decided to volunteer twelve years ago during a situation much like his most recent experience last month in Texas.
“I volunteered for the first time two days after Hurricane Katrina hit,” Slavin said. “I was watching the T.V. and saw so many people stranded on their rooftops and called my local Red Cross chapter to see if I could help. Within 24 hours after that call, I was in New Orleans.”
Slavin’s experience as a logistics officer for the Air Force granted him a leadership position over a warehouse receiving supplies in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He coordinated the efforts of fifty volunteers to unload semi-trucks bringing basic necessities like food, water and diapers.
From that warehouse, volunteers loaded box trucks with supplies to be distributed further into Louisiana to reach more people affected by the disaster. Slavin led these convoy missions, taking the trucks as far as they could go, avoiding downed power lines and flooded roads along the way.
The American Red Cross calls these volunteer opportunities “deployments,” something Slavin has become very familiar with during his nearly 30-year career in the Air Force.
“You have to be able to deal with the situation and whatever the conditions are,” Slavin said. “What I do for the Air Force and what I for the American Red Cross, they complement each other. The Air Force prepared me to lead in austere conditions and gave me the confidence to use my skills in situations like this.”
Seven years later, Superstorm Sandy hit the Northeast region of the U.S., and again Slavin could not resist his desire to help others in need.
“During this deployment, I was trained on driving a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV),” Slavin said.
This truck resembles an ambulance: red, white and boxed shaped with red crosses on each side. The driver’s daily mission is to serve hot food to people in affected areas. On a typical day, they may work up to 14 hours, serving roughly 1,000 meals.
His wife, Cindy, a senior systems analyst for a healthcare provider in St. Joseph, Missouri, had supported Slavin from home through these deployments. It wasn’t until last year’s flood in Louisiana that she was able to help alongside him.
After speaking with her employer, she used her vacation time to train to drive ERVs. As a team, they deployed to Louisiana for two weeks and then again to Texas to provide relief after Hurricane Harvey.
The Slavin team ended up in Beaumont, Texas, where floodwater had knocked out the city’s electricity and water supply. The Red Cross provided a shelter environment for volunteers, but they had to use bottled water to brush their teeth and clean up, Cindy added.
Cindy said she was blown away by the reaction of the people they were helping.
“They were so grateful,” Cindy said. “It amazes me to see how good people are. They were so humble and concerned with taking care of others and making sure there was enough food for everyone else. I had to talk people into taking meals while everything they had was out on a street corner.”
She also said she saw the direct impact of her husband’s Air Force training. She noticed that fellow volunteers followed his direction which she attributed to his leadership experience mentoring Airmen throughout his career.
“He takes great pride in helping his Airmen,” Cindy said. “He takes leadership very seriously, and the volunteers know that and trusted him.”
The Slavin team is only getting started. They both plan to retire from their careers in the next few months and deploy more times with the Red Cross.
“I might be retiring soon,” Slavin said. “But at least my work helping people doesn’t have to stop.”
| Date Taken: | 10.22.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 11.13.2017 09:35 |
| Story ID: | 252591 |
| Location: | WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, MO, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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