Service to the Armed forces
Keeping Pace with the Changing Military
The American Red Cross links members of the U.S. Armed Forces with their families during a crisis. Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, the Red Cross quickly sends emergency communications to deployed service members on behalf of their family. Military members can have peace of mind knowing that when they are on a mission, in training or stationed far from home-and leaving cell phones and emails behind-they are still connected to home.

While providing service to 1.4 million active duty military personnel and their families, the Red Cross also reaches out to more than 1.2 million members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families living in nearly every community in America.

Red Cross workers in hundreds of chapters and on military installations briefed 974,573 departing service members and their families regarding available support services, and explained 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 in partnership with the military aid societies, information and referral and assistance to veterans. Red Cross personnel form a global network in 700 U.S. chapters, military installations worldwide and in forward deployed locations in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Emergency Communications
The Red Cross keeps military personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of a family member, birth of a child or in response to other family emergencies. Red Cross emergency messages provide military personnel and their commanders with fast, reliable information to help them make decisions regarding emergency leave, deferment, compassionate reassignment and dependency discharge. Contact the Military Hotline (Toll Free ) at (877) 272-7337.