100-Year-Old WWII Red Cross Volunteer Honored for Decades of Service
Southfield (CW50) - Our team at CW50 was invited to the home of Doris Adler, 100, a Red Cross volunteer who served during WWII. Adler took a walk down memory lane with Mary Lynn Foster, the CEO of Red Cross' Michigan region, as she flipped through scrap books and looked at trinkets from her years as a volunteer during the war.
Adler was on a two-year tour of Japan in August of 1945 to serve as a "Red Cross girl." During her time in Japan, Adler was on the ground following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Her time was spent making sure American soldiers had places to go for recreation off base, and made sure they had everything they needed following their service during war time. She described going to the country of Japan with hate, but after everything she experienced in the country, she explained it was, "just a change in my feelings toward the people first." She grew fond of the people and their culture.
Following her tour in Japan, she went to Germany, and then back home where she was honored by the American Red Cross with a plaque for her service and a collection of memories that were shared on the day of this interview.
Watch Doris Adler's full interview on this week's Community Connect, Saturday at 7am on CW50.