The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which consists of the International Committee of the Red Cross, individual national Red Cross societies, and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which make up the world's largest humanitarian-aid network.
Red Crescent was added to the movement's title in 1986 and is used in most Islamic countries.
"Each country has a Red Cross of its own, which are called Red Cross societies, and the federation is kind of like the United Nations of Red Cross societies," Burger said.
If a particular country is struck by a natural disaster the federation helps facilitate other national Red Cross societies coming to its aid, she said.
The idea for the Red Cross came from Jean Henri Dunant, a Swiss businessman and philanthropist. During Italy's struggle for unification Dunant witnessed the gruesome aftermath of the Battle of Solferino on June 24, 1859, in which upwards of 40,000 men were killed or wounded. He was mortified at the lack of medical care for wounded troops and immediately set about trying to establish an international system of voluntary relief agencies to aid the wounded in future conflicts.
In 1862 Dunant published "A Memory of Solferino," his memoir of the battle. The book advocated that nations "formulate some international principle, sanctioned by a convention, inviolate in character, which, once approved and ratified, might serve as the basis for societies for the relief of the wounded."
The following year, Dunant, along with several other philanthropists and the Swiss government, formed a committee to probe the idea of putting his ideas into action. The committee immediately called for a convention to be held in Geneva.
The International Red Cross was formally established in 1864 with the first Geneva Convention. The American humanitarian Clara Barton tirelessly lobbied for the United States to ratify the first Geneva Convention, which it ultimately did in 1882. Another of Barton's great achievements was to found the American Red Cross in 1881.
Twenty years earlier at the outbreak of the American Civil War, Barton quit her job as a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office to care for wounded Union soldiers. A few years after the war ended, she took a four-year journey through Europe, where she became acquainted with the International Red Cross and served as a volunteer during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Upon her return to the U.S., she began working toward the creation of an American counterpart.
The American Red Cross is not a government agency. However, in 1900 the organization was granted a charter by the U.S. Congress "to furnish volunteer aid to the sick and wounded of armies in time of war" and "carry on a system of national and international relief in time of peace and apply the same in mitigating the suffering caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods, and other great national calamities, and to devise and carry on measures for preventing the same."
In 1909, Jane Delano, the superintendent of the Army Nurse Corps, established the Red Cross Nursing Service. Ever since, Red Cross nurses have played a major role in easing the suffering of wounded American servicemembers.
After a 38-year association with the American Red Cross, Julie Burger understands the important role the organization has historically played in helping the men and women of the U.S. armed forces and works to continue that legacy.
She also appreciates its contributions on a personal level. Her husband Les Burger is a retired Army Maj. Gen., and she has three sons who are currently in the military.
"I am very much aware of the issues and very cognizant of the importance of helping military personnel," Burger said. "And I want to make sure that the Red Cross continues to serve them and their families."
