Photo By Thomas Cieslak | Mrs. Linda Eldredge and her husband Fred are honored at Naval Health Clinic Cherry...... read more read more
Mrs. Linda Eldredge, a second-generation American Red Cross volunteer, concluded more than fifty-five years of service during a ceremony held Monday, April 28 at Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point. Her husband Fred retired during the same ceremony, having served more than two decades as a volunteer with the organization.
“My mother was a volunteer here [on Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point] in the early 60s. She volunteered in the Surgical Clinic at the old hospital,” said Eldredge. “She just loved it and so I kind of caught the bug from her.”
Eldredge’s efforts exceed an estimated thirty-thousand hours over the past fifty-five years, equivalent to three-and-a-half years of continuous volunteerism.
“When I asked Linda what her favorite part of volunteering was, with so much love in her voice, she said, ‘helping the girls graduate at the dental clinic,’” said Kaylee Ketterhagen, an American Red Cross Armed Forces Specialist during the ceremony.
Eldredge’s work with the American Red Cross began in October 1969 as a staff aide on MCAS Cherry Point while her husband Fred served with the Marines in Vietnam.
She would accompany her husband through his career to Quantico, Virginia, Beaufort, South Carolina and eventually back to MCAS Cherry Point.
“My real love was dental because I wanted to go to dental hygiene school, and then I married him [Fred] and he got orders to Quantico,” said Eldredge. “Then we went to Beaufort, which was an outpost, and there were very few techs to help.”
She and others petitioned the American Red Cross, which, in 1974 established a Dental Assistants Program on the Marine Corps Air Station. Eldredge noted proudly she and twelve other civilian volunteers performed better in the first course than the active-duty service members in attendance.
This led to Eldredge providing over thirty-seven years of volunteer chairside dental assistance. During that time, she instructed two of the courses herself while serving as a mentor to countless volunteers and service members.
“I’m trying to pass on things to coming generations that they can do to make a difference,” said Eldredge.
She also lent her expertise and candor to the Civil Air Patrol for more than fourteen years as a First Aid and CPR Instructor. After Fred’s retirement from the Marine Corps in 1986, they served together as Blood Donor Ambassadors with the American Red Cross Blood Services Program while she served as Fred’s right seat co-pilot while he flew aircraft.
Eldredge’s legacy of dedication continues through her family to her daughter Allison, who volunteered at the base’s veterinarian clinic.
“The Red Cross has always answered the call when our military veterans and their families are in need, and here at Cherry Point, we are truly grateful,” said Ms. Cindy Godley, the facility’s volunteer liaison. “Whether it's supporting blood drives, delivering lifesaving CPR training or simply offering a helping hand, you've left your mark”
Red Cross volunteers on MCAS Cherry Point, like Eldredge, are most often seen assisting active-duty service members, their families and beneficiaries to receive their prescriptions at the base’s ScriptCenter location next to the Commissary.
“Linda, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for every single second…of service with us at the Red Cross,” said Ketterhagen. “We cannot wait to see what the future holds for you.”
| Date Taken: | 05.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.02.2025 10:07 |
| Story ID: | 496814 |
| Location: | CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 94 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A Lifetime of Service: Second-Generation American Red Cross Volunteer Retires After More than Fifty-Five Years, by Thomas Cieslak, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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