Writer / Janet C. Striebel
Veteran James Womack completed 21 years of active duty army when he retired on June 30, 1980, at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. In addition to the army, James reflects a multi-veteran with his steadfast commitment to God, his church, his family, the American Red Cross and the Indiana Blood Center.
Should you happen to see him at Mama Bear’s sipping hot chocolate after attending church service, he’ll more than likely be wearing his veteran ball cap and Butler sweatshirt. He actively participates in choir and other areas at Holy Spirit at Geist Catholic Church. He attends daily Mass, never faltering a smidgen of doubt of why he does what he does. He represents a faithful veteran with total obligation to whatever he’s decided to take on, whether he’s leading the congregation in song and spirit or rolling up his sleeve to donate blood.
This past Veterans Day, the Indiana Blood Center recognized James for having donated so much blood over the years and invited him to accompany the Indiana Blood Center bloodmobile in the Veterans Day Parade held in downtown Indy November 11.
“It’s donors like James who understand the true meaning of serving a community,” says Lucy J. Smith, Corporate Communications Specialist at Indiana Blood Center. “James has 243 lifetime to-date-donations. This is outstanding. This is absolutely a high number and one we don’t see every day. From all of us at Indiana Blood Center and from hospital patients near and far, a huge thanks to James for his commitment to our life-giving mission.”
You might be surprised to know that humans don’t have as much blood within their bodies as you might think. The typical male has only eight pints of blood while the average female has only five pints. (enotes.com/homework-help/how-much-blood-average-human-body-289065)
“Now I know why the Army used to say, ‘Stop the bleeding, put on the tourniquet,’” says James.
Why is he so passionate about donating his blood?
He explains that while stationed in Munich, Germany, he stood at attention in a military troop inspection when a Red Cross agent delivered an emergency-leave notice to his commander. Although his mother had survived surgery in New Orleans, she was deteriorating quickly, and her life expectancy was only 38 hours.
The mission of the American Red Cross (ARC) is to support active duty soldiers and their families in times of need.
“The Red Cross went beyond the call of duty for me when Mom died,” says James. “I was a Private First Class earning only $59 a month. There was no way I could have flown home and buried Mom without their financial help. Black citizens in Mississippi and Louisiana had no access to life and burial insurance at this segment of American history. At the very first Red Cross blood draw in Munich after my return, I decided that there was a way for me to pay it forward and demonstrate my gratitude by donating at each blood drive.”
As a result, James has donated blood every eight weeks since 1960 with a few exceptions. When President Clinton closed Fort Benjamin Harrison, the Indiana Blood Center replaced the ARC as the primary blood organization for James. So far, he has provided 142 units of blood to the Indiana Blood Center, 21 units to the ARC with a total of 163 units which translates to 40 gallons of whole blood.
According to the ARC (redcrossblood.org), one pint of blood can save up to three lives. There are eight pints of blood in one gallon. James has donated 40 gallons of blood so far which means he has saved about 960 lives. By the time you read this article, he will have donated even more!
James has experienced a lifetime of hardships such as being born on a Mississippi cotton plantation in 1940 to illiterate parents. His father, an abusive alcoholic, rejected James from birth. James served in the Army for 21 years including a combat tour in Vietnam. After getting married and having four children, he managed to go to college part-time and earn a Bachelor of Science from Butler University.
There are way too many adversities throughout his life to mention in this article. You can learn more about how he survived his misfortunes with fortitude in his book “Black Dad—White Dad: The James Womack Story.” His book is available on Amazon and will make a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone in search of a true story offering American history adorned with faith, hope and inspiration.
