The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society has provided over $1 million in direct financial assistance to Sailors, Marines and their families who have been evacuated from Bahrain since the conflict with Iran began a little more than 30 days ago.
“They got told, with very short notice and with very little time to prepare, pack your bags, we have to get you out of here, for safety reasons,” said retired Rear Admiral and NMCRS Chief Operations Officer Dawn Cutler. “So, they did that. They, you know, packed a suitcase, grabbed the kids, grabbed the dog.”
After leaving Bahrain, the families initially landed on military bases in Europe and from there made their way to their safe havens in the United States, Cutler said.
“One of the things that we decided to do, partnering with the Navy, is these people are going through a lot of stress right now. I mean, this was very sudden, very stressful,” she said.
The families received grants in the amount of $500. A table was set up at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, where many of the families landed upon their return to the United States.
In addition to NMCRS and the Navy, the USO and Red Cross were on hand at BWI to offer compassion and support to the families.
“I saw a mom there, she had a 2-week-old, a 2-year-old, and a dog in a crate, and a couple of suitcases, you know, a young, young spouse and she's juggling this all by herself,” said Cutler.
Cutler also met two unaccompanied minors whose active-duty mom had to remain in Bahrain.
“These two teenagers and their two 50-pound dogs, I got to meet them at BWI, because our directors from overseas were watching them, and they said, please make sure we have a warm hand-off,” she said.
Cutler took a picture with the kids that was sent to their mom. A family friend picked them up and cared for them for a couple of days until they got to their final destination.
“It’s a true testament of military families coming together to help each other,” she said.
Cutler also said that at one of the European bases, a mom and her 7-year-old daughter were on one of the evacuation flights when the mom began having allergic reactions to the pet dander in the cabin. The pilot made the decision to ask them to step off due to a health issue
“And the 7-year-old girl was so scared, she said, 'Please don't make us go back to where the missiles are flying,'” she said. “Seven years old. seven years old. So, I mean, these things take a toll on the families, our parents, you know, our moms and dads, who also wear that other hat. They are very resilient, and the Navy is offering counseling services and whatever our families need.”
NMCRS has now switched into what Cutler called recovery mode, as most of the families are in their safe havens now.
“What we do in this recovery mode is we let our sailors, marines, and their families know, if you find you've got a legitimate, immediate need financially, give us a call,” she said. “Let us know what you need, let's talk through that, and we're here to help you. You don't have to go through all of this instability and uncertainty alone.”
To learn more about NMCRS, visit here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
