When one hears the nickname “Angel of the Battlefield” they (should) immediately think of Clara Barton. However, in last week’s episode of “Community” it wasn’t Clara Barton that came to the rescue of dozens of slightly injured community college students, it was Annie, the Healthcare Administration student.
Annie was the neutral party in a very heated on-campus battle, a battle that dramatically changed the lives of many students, staff, and faculty, and left others fleeing for their lives. Annie must have volunteered with the Red Cross at some point, or paid attention in her History class, because she is a living example of how Clara Barton conducted herself and her volunteers during the Civil War…although Clara Barton and her cadre of volunteers may have been dealing with more serious injuries than broken glasses and rug burns.
Either way, this is part of the foundation of the Red Cross – to always remain neutral when things get heated, to help those that need help, and to rise to the call of duty…no matter how great or how small that call may be. At the end of the failed Guinness World Record pillow fight attempt, the two parties met with neutral third party and the war was peacefully ended.
NBC may (or may not know this), but this April will actually mark the 100 year anniversary of Clara Barton’s passing. We’d like to thank them for paying tribute to her humanitarian spirit with this inspiring episode.
Side note: I’d like to thank Joe Hansen for reminding me to catch up on my DVR shows. He made this post possible.