In August, Terri Wolff found out her sister had cancer. A few weeks later, she had to put her dog down. A few days after that, another crushing blow---she lost her dad, her buddy. Needless to say, Terri was having a rough autumn.

Less than a month later, this strong woman can talk about one bright spot in all of her recent tragedy: having her son home to present the American flag at her father’s funeral.

“My dad would really be proud of him,” she says smiling through tears.

Though almost 7,000 miles away, contacting her son, Josh, serving in Baghdad, Iraq, was quick and easy, thanks to a Red Cross caseworker.

At 5:30 a.m., Terri’s brother called to tell her that her dad had passed away. After rushing home to be with her family, Terri knew the next step was to let her son know. Through trembling fingers, she tried to find the materials with the Red Cross number that she had received when he joined the service in 1997. Still in shock, she called the Red Cross caseworker at 10 a.m. and asked them to deliver the message to her son.

“My head was in a funk. When I get nervous, I get motor mouth,” she says sheepishly. “But the caseworker was very calm and nice, absolutely helpful. She got the info and was very thorough.”

Around noon, Josh was called into his commander’s office in Iraq and immediately called his mother. They talked, and Terri told him she understood if he did not want to come home. She knew he wanted to go to Ireland in November. His words melted her heart.

“He said, ‘Mom, Ireland is always going to be there. This is the last thing I can do for Grandpa,’” she remembers.

Just a few hours later, Josh’s request for leave was expedited by his command and his travel plans finalized. He called his mom to tell her he would be landing in Wisconsin on Wednesday. A few days later, he was able to present the American flag at his grandfather’s funeral---a gesture that meant so much to his mother and their military family. Josh’s dad was a Marine, his younger brother served in the Air National Guard. Her father-in-law served in the Army in France, and her father was in the Army Air Corps during World War II.

“My father was so proud of the boys’ service,” she says.

The American Red Cross in Southeastern Wisconsin relies on donations of time and money so they can provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies in Dodge, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth and Waukesha counties. To donate your time, please visit our Volunteer page. Financial donations can be made online through our secure contribution site.You can also support the Red Cross online by becoming a fan on our facebook page and following us on Twitter.