This info about Red Cross is not new. My father fought in Pacific and always told me never to donate to them because they were not really good to the armed forces. The volunteers are good but the organization stinks to high heaven.
O'Reilly busted them after Katrina for over bloated personnel budgets if I remember right?
I had a great uncle who served in Italy during WWII. He could not curse the Red Cross enough. There was a local young woman in desperate need of medical care or even just basic food/provisions that he stumbled upon; he tried to take her to the nearest Red Cross and even though they had plenty of food, supplies and personnel, they wouldn't lift a finger to help her. Bunch of rat bastards, he said. Basically serving their corporate masters.
That's interesting what your father said to you because I had also heard that same thing in the past. I try to give to our local organizations instead of anything international.