Service in His Blood

As long-term staff members of Hope Force International, Chuck and Sue Duby exemplify the spirit of service and dedication that we strive to instill in all of those who serve as staff or Reservists with the organization. As Training Coordinator, Sue has been instrumental in helping HFI reach its goal of 1,000 active Reservists around the world. Chuck's heart for people and his congenial personality make him ideal to fill the role of Chaplain in Hope Force. Sue's father joined Chuck for the first wave of rapid responders following the devastating tornadoes of April 27, 2011. Following is their story:

First thing you need to know -- my dad is awesome and I love him! Hugo Oswald is almost 88 years old and this is his first time to travel since losing my mom in January. He was coming to visit us and happened to fly into Nashville the night of the big storms -- April 27. We did not know if his flight would be able to land but the clouds literally parted around the airport as his arrival time approached, his plane landed and then it started pouring rain and getting extremely windy right afterwards. It was wonderful to see him, especially after our concerns about his travel.

He is a retired attorney, having lived most of his life in the Seattle area. His life has been marked by leadership roles in many service organizations -- Boy Scouts, Young Republicans, YMCA and our Presbyterian church to name a few. Most of all, I'm so pleased that he has dedicated so much of his service to executive positions with the Salvation Army -- one of the most significant implementation partners that Hope Force works with. We are national partners with the Salvation Army and have a Memorandum of Agreement in place that makes a way for us to second our Reservists to Salvation Army disaster response efforts. We are honored to be able to work alongside them and for years we have been sending our volunteers to work with their people.

In fact, the morning after the tornadoes, I got a call from the Nashville Salvation Army asking for canteen workers to help with their mobile feeding vans in response to the devastation. We were short one worker, so Chuck said, "How about I take your dad and we both go?" The boys left home around 8 am headed for Division Headquarters in Nashville to help load the canteen and buy supplies. Then they drove down to Chattanooga to meet at the Salvation Army headquarters for instructions. They were joined by Hope Force Reservists from other area cities.

My dad served meals Thursday evening and Friday morning, showing his heart and concern to the dozens of tornado survivors who came to the canteen vans. He is known for his exuberance in meeting new people and makes anyone he comes in contact with feel special and valued. He always sees it as a great adventure to hear their story! This is one thing that we emphasize in Hope Force -- taking the time to slow down enough to hear people's story after they have suffered loss.

One time while Chuck was talking to someone in the Nashville Salvation Army offices, my dad was sitting in the cafeteria waiting. There was a man sitting alone, part of the men's shelter program. By the time Chuck returned, Dad had moved over to the guy's table and he was engaged in a long discussion hearing the man's life story. That's my Dad!

*Hope Force International is a national partner of the Salvation Army, with a signed Memorandum of Understanding that provides a protocol for partnership in times of significant disaster events.

The Salvation Army is an evangelical Christian movement known for charitable work, currently in over 100 countries. The Salvation Army's reputation in the United States was established as a result of disaster relief efforts following the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Today they are a cornerstone of the service sector in the U.S., whether deploying volunteers in the aftermath of a disaster or mobilizing volunteers for holiday Christmas drives. Hope Force is honored to be a National Partner with the Salvation Army.