Today’s American Red Cross is keeping pace with the changing military. Using the latest in computer and telecommunications technology, the Red Cross allows military members stationed all over the world to send messages to loved ones back home during an emergency or other important events. These communications are delivered around-the-clock, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
While serving 1.4 million active duty personnel, the Red Cross also reaches out to the 1.5 million members of the National Guard and the Reserves who reside in nearly every local community in America.
Hundreds of Red Cross chapters brief departing service members and their families regarding available support services and explain how the Red Cross may assist them during the deployment. Both active duty and community-based military can count on the Red Cross to provide emergency communications that link them with their families back home, access to financial assistance, counseling and assistance to veterans.
Emergency Communications
American Red Cross communication services keep military personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of a family member or other important events, such as the birth of a child. The Red Cross sends messages quickly, anywhere in the world, including ships at sea, embassies and to isolated military units. The information or verification in a message assists the service member’s commanding officer in making a decision regarding emergency leave.
Contacting the Red Cross to send an Emergency Message
When a military family experiences a crisis, the American Red Cross is there to assist by providing emergency communications twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. The Red Cross relays urgent messages containing accurate, factual, complete and verified descriptions of the emergency to service members stationed anywhere in the world, including ships at sea, embassies and remote locations.
Red Cross emergency communications services keep military personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of an immediate family member, the birth of a service member’s child or grandchild or when a family experiences other emergencies.
No matter where a military member and their family are stationed, they can rest assured the Red Cross will deliver their notifications in times of crisis. Even if the service member receives notification of an emergency through an e-mail or a phone call, Red Cross-verified information assists commanding officers in making a decision regarding emergency leave. Without this verification, the service member may not be able to come home during a family emergency.
How to Contact the Red Cross for Assistance
Call (877) 272-7337 (toll-free within the continental United States) if you are:
An Active Duty service member stationed in the United States or overseas, or a family member residing with them,
♦ A family member of an active duty service member who does not reside in the service member’s household,
♦ A Department of Defense Civilian assigned overseas and family members residing with them,
♦ A member of the National Guard or Reserves,
♦ A recruiter, MEPS military personnel,
♦ A Veteran
When calling the Red Cross, please provide as much of the following information about the service member as is known:
♦ Full name
♦Rank/rating
♦Branch of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard or DoD Civilian or contractor)
♦Social Security Account number
♦Date of Birth
♦Military address
♦For deployed service members only: Information about the deployed unit and home base unit
Emergency Financial Assistance
The Red Cross works with the military aid societies* (Army Emergency Relief, Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, Air Force Aid Society and the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance). This partnership helps to provide financial assistance for emergency travel which requires the presence of the service member or his or her family, burial of a loved one, or with assistance that cannot wait until the next business day (food, temporary lodging, urgent medical needs, or the minimum amount required to avoid eviction, utility shut off, etc.). Please call the Red Cross at 1-877-272-7337 for additional information.
For more information about all our services, please visit our National Website.