Service to Armed Forces
When a military family experiences a crisis, the American Red Cross of North Central Florida 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.
Red Cross emergency communications services keep military personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of an immediate family member, the birth of a service member's child or grandchild or when a family faces other emergencies.
Where ever their military service takes them, he or she knows that the Red Cross will deliver notification in times of an emergency at home. Even if the service member receives an e-mail or phone call from home, Red Cross-verified information assists commanding officers with making a decision regarding emergency leave. Without this verification, the service member may not be able to come home during a family crisis.
How to Contact the Red Cross for Assistance:
Call 1-877-272-7337 (toll-free) if you are an Active duty service member stationed in the United States, or a family member residing with them. Contact the North Central Florida Chapter of the American Red Cross if you are:
- Family members of active duty service members who do not reside in the service members' household
- Family members of Department of Defense Civilians assigned overseas
- Members of the National Guard and Reserves
- Recruiters, MEPS military personnel
- Veterans
- Civilians
- Active-duty service members and family members residing with them
- Department of Defense civilians stationed overseas and family members residing with them
- 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)
How does the American Red Cross support the U.S. Armed Forces?
In 1905, the U.S. Congress granted a charter to the American Red Cross that required it to act "in accord with the military authorities as a medium of communication between the people of the United States and their armed forces." Since then, the Red Cross has provided communications and other humanitarian services to help members of the U.S. military and their families around the world. Living and working in the same difficult situations and dangerous environment as U.S. troops, Red Cross staff has given comfort to soldiers thousands of miles from home by providing emergency messages, about deaths and births, for example, and comfort kits for loved ones to send to their troops.