Red Cross Volunteers Keep Nebraska Air Base Running

A prescription handoff at a Nebraska pharmacy window represents something bigger: volunteers quietly keeping military life running.

Ken Noltie leads 11 Red Cross volunteers at Offutt Air Force Base who staff the clinic pharmacy daily. They verify patient identities, distribute medications, and keep service windows open so active-duty medical personnel can focus on clinical care.

Master Sgt. Paul Forbes calls the volunteers essential. Most pharmacies lack enough staff to handle filling, verifying, and dispensing medications simultaneously, he explains.

"Having the Red Cross here on a day-to-day basis is keeping these windows open and keeping patients in and out on a timely basis," Forbes said.

The partnership extends far beyond pharmacy duties. Red Cross teams run Yellow Ribbon events for deploying units, teaching service members what emergency resources exist when they're overseas.

When fires destroyed a Bellevue apartment complex in 2025, many military residents didn't realize they qualified for disaster relief. The Red Cross provided immediate assistance, surprising families who thought civilian emergencies fell outside military support systems.

The Ripple Effect

Jessica Pfeffer specializes in restoring family links when communication breaks down overseas. Military members worried about relatives after disasters get routed to the right services through a single contact point.

The Red Cross helped military families reconnect during natural disasters and communication blackouts, offering peace of mind when service members couldn't reach home.

Noltie emphasizes that volunteers respond any time, any emergency. The partnership works because both organizations share a mission: supporting people during their most challenging moments.

The collaboration between Offutt commanders and Red Cross leadership runs deep, creating what Noltie calls an excellent relationship from top leadership down through daily operations.

Whether handing prescriptions to patients or tracking down a soldier's family after a hurricane, Red Cross volunteers keep the base's support network strong. Their consistent presence helps thousands of service members and families navigate both routine needs and unexpected crises with reliable backup ready when needed most.