140+ years in the making: WNY'er delivering help & hope to U.S. military overseas

The mission of the American Red Cross was born on the battlefield, with founder Clara Barton delivering care and supplies to Civil War soldiers in need. Now, more than 140 years later, selfless individuals like Darla Roote are carrying on her mission.

“SAF was the first line of service in the American Red Cross. We are what started the Red Cross. The Red Cross was formed to help the military and service members in any way we can.”

Darla has served as a Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) Program Specialist for the Western New York region since 2023, conducting outreach to service members, veterans and their families, putting together resource guides, attending and representing SAF at events across the region’s 27 counties, all while helping to manage casework and delivering messages for the Red Cross’ Hero Care Network worldwide.

“Hero Care Network is for family members who have an emergency at home and need to contact their service member,” she explained. “It’s been going on for 100 years. The other day, there was one for a service member in Abu Dhabi, or it could be for a unit at Fort Drum. It all depends on where that soldier or sailor or marine is stationed. It’s very important. I’ve used it myself when my father passed away so that I would be able to get emergency leave. So that’s me this year.”

This year, she takes on another facet of her role as Regional Program Specialist – a 6-month deployment to Poland.

“I’m excited, I can’t wait! I’ve been deployed a lot. I’ve been gone for 6 months at a time quite a bit. I mean with the COVID pandemic, I was gone for two years.”

Darla’s multiple deployments come with a lengthy career of military service going back 40 years. Out of high school, Darla was active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps stationed at Officer Candidate School in Quantico, VA.

“The one thing I like to say about that time frame is that was before women were allowed to shoot rifles!”

After four years of service, Darla left to start her family but not long after her daughter’s birth she would join the service again with the U.S. Navy Reserves where she would spend 18 years before spending another 16 years with the Air National Guard. She retired as a Senior Master Sergeant in August 2022.

“I love it. This job with SAF is almost the same thing. I still get to deploy; I still get to be on base with a bunch of military members and participating in that culture and so it makes being retired easier,” she laughed.

In her capacity with the Red Cross, Darla will be helping to support U.S. service members on three bases within Poland, while continuing to promote the work of the Hero Care Network.

“We do command briefings, telling the service members about the Hero Care Network and we do morale events. We partner with USO and MWR to do different events, we put together comfort kit items that we give out as needed.”

Now on the other side of military life, Darla says she’s looking forward to helping to serve the men and women who serve this country and providing some of the comforts of home that made her own service a little easier.

“They just got a kitchen where I’m going, so we may be able to do some birthday parties, pizza nights and barbecues. I just hope I can make their life easier while they’re there. I remember on some of my deployments being able to do a Fun-Run or having a barbecue – just things that broke up the week or month, something to look forward to. I’m hoping to provide something different every once in a while, even if it’s just sitting at a table with a puzzle on it. Just something to take their minds off where they are and what they’re doing.”

Written by: Meg Rossman, Regional Communications Manager, American Red Cross of WNY