Military Services

Nobody ever said being in the armed services was going to be easy -- for yourself or your family. Adjustments have to be made, problems solved, separations dealt with, stresses and tensions resolved. The Good News Is We Can Help!

Around the clock, around the globe, we keep the American people in touch with members of their family serving in the U.S. military. Tragedy can strike a family any time, day or night, and separation due to military service often makes it difficult to reach a man or woman in uniform. The Red Cross communications system is capable of reaching family members residing in the largest and smallest American communities, as well as ships at sea, embassies and isolated units.

The Armed Forces Emergency Services office assists in keeping military personnel in touch with their families during family emergencies such as death, serious illness or the birth of a child. Red Cross emergency messages provide military personnel and their commanders with fast, reliable information to help them make decisions about emergency leave, deferment, compassionate reassignment and dependency discharge. The American Red Cross transmits more than 1.4 million emergency messages each year to members of the U.S. Armed Services and their families.

When calling the Red Cross to send an emergency message to a family member, please have the following information ready:

• Service Member's Full Name
• Rank/Rating
• Branch of Service
• Social Security Number
• Military Address Where Deployed
• Home Base Unit