Services to the Armed Forces

Get to Know Us Before You Need Us

The American Red Cross supports military members and their families
The American Red Cross is there for all members of the Armed Forces. While serving 1.4 million active duty personnel and their immediate family members, the Red Cross also reaches out to the more than 1.2 million members of the National Guard/Reserves and their immediate family members who reside in nearly every community in America. Around the clock and around the globe, during times of personal crisis, the Red Cross keeps the American people in touch with their family members serving in the U.S. military with:

Emergency communication services. The Red Cross is a lifeline to members of the U.S. Armed Forces sending communications all over the world on behalf of family members who are facing emergencies or other important events. The Red Cross provides this service quickly through a network of chapters, stations, communication centers and staff members serving on military installations and major deployment sites worldwide. This network links military personnel any place in the world (including ships at sea, embassies and isolated military units) with their loved ones. The information in the message assists the command to make a valid decision regarding emergency leave. Within the last twelve months the Red Cross provided 630,470 emergency communication services to 173,796 military families worldwide.

Outreach to members of the National Guard/Reserves and their families. The Red Cross found that all too often community-based military didn’t know about valuable Red Cross services until they were mobilized. Since 2000, the Red Cross has been reaching out to this population through the Get to Know Us Program.

Social services including access to financial assistance, counseling, family support and assistance with representation at the Board of Veterans Appeals.

Staff members who deploy overseas along with members of the military and handle emergency communications. They can offer respite from harsh conditions and bring a little bit of home to the troops by operating a 24-hour canteen service with coffee, cold drinks, snacks, games, videos and books. Red Cross teams also visit patients in clinics and hospitals.

Family support groups at many Red Cross chapters and stations. Here family members can be with others who are also learning to cope with separation and about community resources that can help them.

How to access Red Cross assistance

Active duty service members stationed in the United States and their immediate family members may call the Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Service Centers for help 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year via the toll-free number (877) 272-7337.

Other family members who do not reside in the service members' household, members of the National Guard and Reserves, retirees and civilians may access Red Cross services through their local Red Cross chapter, which is listed in local telephone books and at