Emergency Communications Services

The American Red Cross Provides Reassuring Link for Military Personnel and Families more...

When a military family experiences a crisis, the American Red Cross is there to help. 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 on ships at sea and at embassies and remote locations.

Red Cross emergency communications services keep military personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of a family member, the birth of a service member’s child or grandchild or when a family faces other emergencies.

Whether a service member is on a mission, in training, transferring between bases or on a ship at sea, he or she knows that the Red Cross will deliver notification when something important happens at home. Even if the service member receives an e-mail or phone call from home, Red Cross-verified information assists commanding officers with making a decision regarding emergency leave. Without this verification, the service member may not be able to come home during a family crisis or help family members who are experiencing a serious illness.

How to Contact the Red Cross for Assistance

Active duty service members stationed in the United States, and family members residing with them, should  call (877) 272-7337 (toll-free).

Family members who do not reside in the service members' household, members of the National Guard and Reserves, retirees and civilians should call their local Red Cross chapter, which is listed in local telephone directory and at http://www.redcross.org/where/where.html.

Active-duty service members and Department of Defense civilians stationed overseas and family members residing with them should call base or installation operators or the Red Cross office at the overseas location.

When calling the Red Cross, please provide the following information about the service member:

• Full name
• Rank/rating
• Branch of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard)
• Social Security number or date of birth
• Military address
• Information about the deployed unit and home base unit (for deployed service members only)