EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS and FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

One of the fundamental missions of the American Red Cross is to keep family members in touch with their loved ones in the Armed Forces during times of family crisis.  By utilizing the latest technology, the Red Cross assists more than 1,000 military families daily with urgent messages. 

Red Cross Messages may be initiated by ANYONE.  The emergency situation MUST BE EMERGENT in nature, time sensitive, and require action by the service member.  Urgent messages include: illness/injury, birth, death, financial issues, child care, crime, etc.  Pre-birth messages are authorized for high risk pregnancies or personnel deployed in the CENTCOM AOR with upcoming R&R that is within 45 days of expected delivery date. Emergencies outside of the U.S. may not be verified due to geographical location. ALL messages are verified by the Red Cross.

Information REQUIRED to initiate a Red Cross Message:

• Service Member’s Information: Name, Rank, SSN, DOB, and Military Unit Address
• Verifying Official Information
• Local Point of Contact

Medical Personnel

If you have a patient with a medical emergency, you may contact our office directly during business hours to initiate a Red Cross Message on behalf of your patient.  The information above is required.  As medical personnel, you may be asked to verify emergencies and provide: diagnosis, prognosis, current condition, life expectancy (if an issue), and recommendation for presence of service member.