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Emergency Communications

The Red Cross is the official liaison between the military and their families for transmitting emergency family messages. 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. It is the only agency that can provide communication services for members of the U.S. Armed Forces stationed anywhere in the world and their families at home.

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, please provide as much of the following information about the service member as is known:

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

Access our Services

As part of an ongoing effort to better serve the military community, the American Red Cross will move to a single telephone number for its emergency communication services.

Beginning June 13, 2011, at 8:00 a.m. EDT, all military members and their families can use one number to send an urgent message to a service member.

877-272-7337 (U.S. Toll Free)

Should you have any issues accessing a caseworker, you can contact our chapter

• (757) 838-7320 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. M-F