If this is an emergency and you need to communicate with a family member
in the military, please call 651-439-0031 for assistance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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.

The St. Croix Valley Chapter Red Cross can 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 and counseling.

Background

In 1905, the U.S. Congress granted a charter to the American Red Cross that required the organization to act "in accord with military authorities as a medium of communication between the people of the United States and their armed forces…" Since that charter was granted, the Red Cross has provided not only communications but a variety of other important services to help members of the U.S. armed forces and their families around the world.

Red Cross nurses and ambulance drivers served during the Spanish-American War and World War I. Red Cross canteens welcomed American troops during World War II, and American Red Cross recreation clubs were established close to the front lines in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. During the 1990-91 conflict in the Persian Gulf, the Red Cross provided service members and their families with financial assistance, crisis intervention, support groups, and a variety of other services. The Red Cross has been in Somalia, Rwanda, Cuba, and Haiti, providing support and comfort to American service members.

Today, the Red Cross provides basic humanitarian services to members of the armed forces, their families, and veterans during peacetime and conflict--at home, around the world, and on ships at sea.

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.

When calling the Red Cross to send an emergency message to a family member, please have ready the following information which will speed the process of sending your message:

• Service Member's Full Name
• Rank/Rating
• Branch of Service
• Social Security Number
• Military Address
• Information about the deployed unit and the home base unit (for deployed service members only)

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 or burial of a loved one. The assistance may also address basic needs such as food, temporary lodging, urgent medical needsthe minimum amount required to avoid eviction, or utility shut off, etc.).

St. Croix Valley service members and their immediate family members may contact an Armed Forces Caseworker at 651-439-0031 for assistance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Counseling

The American Red Cross offers confidential services to all military personnel and their families — active duty, National Guard and Reserves. Counseling, guidance, information, referrals and other social services are available through our worldwide network of chapters and offices on military installations.

As more and more National Guard and Reserve units are called to full time duty status, counseling is becoming increasingly important to prepare the Guardsman and Reservists and their family members for the period of activation. Because members of the National Guard and Reserve typically live in civilian neighborhoods, they and their families frequently have difficulty accessing much-needed, military-related social services.

St. Croix Valley service members and family members may contact an Armed Forces Caseworker at 651-439-0031 for assistance.

Veterans

The Red Cross provides assistance and information to veterans about the Department of Veterans Affairs. Red Cross workers assist veterans in the preparation, development, and efforts to obtain evidence to support a claim for financial benefits through the Board of Veterans Appeals. Also, through the Veterans Administration Volunteer Services, Red Cross volunteers provide a number of support services to patients in Veterans Administration hospitals.