Each year,
while memories and tributes from the observances of Memorial Day, Independence
Day and Veterans’ Day rightfully focus the spotlight on the contributions and
sacrifices of military members, the American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces Program (SAF) maintains an ongoing, vital presence in providing support
to active and retired military and their families. Perhaps nothing symbolizes this more than the
dedicated volunteers who form the backbone of the SAF program, and those who
make service to others their life mission – like Mike Hoplight.
The Niagara
Falls native’s commitment to others goes back to age 14, when he volunteered at
the Niagara Falls Boys and Girls club, showing cartoons to younger children. Now, at age 75, he hasn’t let up a bit.
“My motto
since I was 14 years old is that I am here to serve, not to be served.”
Hoplight
joined the U.S. Army in 1967 and following the completion of a four-year active
service commitment, served an additional 25 years with the Army Reserves,
retiring in 1996 as a Sargent First Class – E7.
During this time, he served in West Germany/West Berlin, including at
the famous CheckPoint Charlie border crossing between East and West Germany
during the Cold War.
“I was a
Wall Rat,” he remembers, explaining how he assisted people who were attempting
escape from the communist east side.
While stationed in West Berlin he also was assigned to the Presidential
Guard for President Richard M. Nixon during the former president’s visit for
the Four-Power Talks that included the U.S., Great Britain, France and Russia.
“They met
at the old Nazi headquarters, and when the president was moving, we were his
first line of defense. We couldn’t look at him and you could tell who everyone
else was by their lapel pins,” he recalled, referring to the presence of the
Secret Service and other security agencies.
Hoplight can still reel off the names of the other world leaders in
attendance as well.
Still,
after nearly three decades of service to his country, Hoplight was not ready to
let go of his commitment to being of service to others, which would eventually
include his retired military family members.
In 1996, coinciding with his retirement from the Army Reserves, Hoplight
joined the Red Cross as a volunteer.
Over the past 26 years he has continued to volunteer his time and
talent, initially serving within the Disaster Services team as a Mass
Care/Shelter Lead. Hoplight worked as
part of relief teams responding to several high-profile national disasters, including
Hurricanes Katrina, Irene and Ike, the latter where he became certified for
running a Mega Shelter, which serves more than 1,000 people.
“We were
actually outside in tents; there were no buildings left to hold us,” he
remembers of Ike’s devastation in Texas.
Overall, he was deployed 22 times to more than a dozen states including
Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Iowa, and North Dakota, as
well as in New York and New Jersey during five assignments in response to
Superstorm Sandy.
It has
been his service to his fellow veterans in western New York as an SAF volunteer,
however, that shines the spotlight on Hoplight and elicits genuine devotion and
contentment when he talks of his work. He is a lead volunteer at the Buffalo
VA; providing support to veterans in long term care on Wednesday and Friday
mornings and entertaining them with unique culinary celebrations such as
“Timbits and Coffee” (from a regional Tim Horton’s Donut chain), SPAM Day and
Sardine & Crackers Day. The
celebrations may seem funny in nature, but are extremely meaningful to the
veterans who partake in them.
“Someone
contacted me once and said ‘how can you give veterans SPAM and sardines, that’s
disgusting,’” he said, going on to point out that for many it is a common and
shared experience.
“In the
military, everyone eats sardines or SPAM for the energy. All those guys (veterans) remember it, it’s
part of their experience,” he said. “All
this stuff – the Timbits, SPAM and Sardines – is meant to get the guys out of
their rooms. These are patients in long
term care or hospice, and it’s my job to get them out of their rooms, to get
them distracted for a while from the fact that they have cancer, or may be
dying. Instead, we are able to laugh and
share a few jokes.”
The Buffalo
VA also happens to be one of the locations in the VA systems that offers the No
Veteran Dies Alone program, designed to provide companionship at the end of
life for patients who may have no remaining family members. Naturally, Hoplight sees this special role as
part of his responsibility and commitment.
“We would
not leave you alone on a battlefield to die, and we’re not going to leave you
alone in your hospital room to die either,” he states matter-of-factly.
As much as
Hoplight has given to local veterans and military families, his service has at
times been at a national level. In yet
another role as an SAF reservist/mobile staff member for Red Cross National
Headquarters, he has deployed to support active military in combat locations
three times; twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. The SAF reservist/mobile
role is not your typical Red Cross assignment. It is highly competitive
and only those who meet all requirements, including health requirements and
security clearances, are eligible to be part of this elite group. These
Mobile Staff Members provide direct service delivery (e.g., emergency
communication messaging and comfort and care services) to service members deployed
across the globe.
During his
eight months in Afghanistan, Hoplight helped evacuate the wounded from Bagram
Air Base.
“Every
morning at 3:00 a.m, a C-17 would leave for a U.S. military hospital in Germany
and another C-17 would leave for Dover (Delaware). That was a tough assignment.”
Still,
instead of seeking respite in his off-hours, Hoplight volunteered his time in Egyptian
and Korean hospitals set up to help wounded civilians, including children injured
by mines.
“You have
to understand,” he explained, “that you’re in a room (on base) that you sleep
in and if you extend your arms to your sides, you can touch both walls. There’s a space heater in the hallways, but
maybe not in your room. We were in the
mountains and it was cold, so you kept moving.
I didn’t go there to sit in my room or hang out in the coffee shop. I
went there to serve.”
Now a
resident of Sanborn, New York, a small town wedged between Niagara Falls and
Lewiston, Hoplight has been married for 54 years and has two grown daughters
and five grandchildren. They understand and
have supported his service to the military.
“My wife
knew of my commitment to the military. I
always took care of them (his family) but my wife knew what my calling was.”
His
commitment continues – and its impact is great.
The Buffalo VA counts more than 50,000 outpatients annually and, as
Hoplight emphatically states, “It’s our duty to treat them right.” He does just that, not only in Buffalo, but
at the Batavia VA as well. Still, despite
all that he has contributed, it is Hoplight who extends gratitude to the Red
Cross.
“I’m just
grateful that the Red Cross has given me the opportunity to still serve,” he
says. “That’s the most important thing
to me….to serve this country.”
Within
SAF, Hoplight holds the following lead positions:
MEPS
Briefing Lead
VA
Representative for Batavia and Buffalo VA
WNY SAF Advisory
Committee Member
Other
organizations he volunteers for are:
American
Legion
VFW
Town of
Niagara Lions Club
Niagara
County Veterans Court; Mentor
Nat’l VA
Advisory Committee on cemeteries and memorials; native American and Alaskan
Native work group
Missing In
America Committee, Washington DC
Four
Chaplains society legion of honor member
American
Patriot
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