View Full Version : How to Contact the Red Cross


MIKOSWIFEY
06-22-2008, 11:16 AM
Emergency Communications Services

The American Red Cross Provides Reassuring Link for Military Personnel and Families
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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.

Red Cross emergency communications services keep military personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of a family member, the birth of a service member’s child or grandchild or when a family faces other emergencies.

Whether a service member is on a mission, in training, transferring between bases or on a ship at sea, he or she knows that the Red Cross will deliver notification when something important happens 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 or help family members who are experiencing a serious illness.

How to Contact the Red Cross for Assistance

Active duty service members stationed in the United States, and family members residing with them, should call (877) 272-7337 (toll-free).

Family members who do not reside in the service members' household, members of the National Guard and Reserves, retirees and civilians should call their local Red Cross chapter, which is listed in local telephone directory and at http://www.redcross.org/where/where.html.

Active-duty service members and Department of Defense civilians stationed overseas and family members residing with them should call base or installation operators or the Red Cross office at the overseas location.

When calling the Red Cross, please provide the following information about the service member:

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



http://www.redcross.org/services/afes/0,1082,0_476_,00.html

Brandi
06-22-2008, 11:21 AM
This is a really good post, thank you. This should be a sticky.

MIKOSWIFEY
06-22-2008, 11:25 AM
I hope no one here will need it anytime soon!

SAMSET
06-22-2008, 11:44 PM
I've always wondered what exactly to do in case of an emergency....*(hopefully I won't need to know)* but in the event I do...I know where to go! Thanks for the info.

PeppermintRei
06-23-2008, 12:00 AM
Thanks for making this a sticky. I've got the numbers in my blackberry just in case I or someone else might need them.

Purpur
06-23-2008, 01:22 AM
Yeah.....prople trust me. write this on a piece of paper, and stick it in your wallet. I'd also recommend writing your FRG leaders' phone number down and put that in your wallet.
DH wasn't even gone a month and one of our kids needed emergency surgery. I didn't want him home, I just wanted him to know what was going on. My cell phone was almost dead, my FRG leader had been calling my house phone in the past, so I didn't have her number in my cell phone.
We were transferred to a civilian hospital that didn't have a red cross office in it.
I thankfully knew enough of his address info to give the red cross (after the nurses found the number for me)
It would have been a little less stressful if I had it all on paper in my wallet (of course, I didn't have my wallet either, but thats another story LOL)

Brandi
06-23-2008, 07:36 AM
Yeah.....prople trust me. write this on a piece of paper, and stick it in your wallet. I'd also recommend writing your FRG leaders' phone number down and put that in your wallet.
DH wasn't even gone a month and one of our kids needed emergency surgery. I didn't want him home, I just wanted him to know what was going on. My cell phone was almost dead, my FRG leader had been calling my house phone in the past, so I didn't have her number in my cell phone.
We were transferred to a civilian hospital that didn't have a red cross office in it.
I thankfully knew enough of his address info to give the red cross (after the nurses found the number for me)
It would have been a little less stressful if I had it all on paper in my wallet (of course, I didn't have my wallet either, but thats another story LOL)

That's a good piece of advice, I didn't even think to keep it in my wallet, but you're absolutely right. In fact, I need to write down ALL of our emergency numbers and stick them in there. If something happened, I don't even think it would be so much about needing him home, but just letting him know if something really bad happened like surgery or something for one of the kids. God, I hope I am never faced with something like that :no

elizabeth18
06-23-2008, 07:31 PM
woot woot! haha

armychaos
06-28-2008, 11:32 PM
i could have used that number 2 weeks ago when steves grandfather passed away it took me 2 hours to find the numbers i needed and his reruiter never called me back... i agree it should be a sticky

jellybeanqueen
06-29-2008, 10:53 AM
thanks for posting this!!!

:bump

ftgordongirl
06-29-2008, 10:58 AM
thank you sooo sooo much for posting this

Fidzy
06-29-2008, 11:26 AM
:yay thank you for having this on here. They told us before they left, but I obviously completely forgot everything.

xkrazybaby67x
10-01-2008, 01:29 AM
thank you.

MIKOSWIFEY
10-01-2008, 01:32 AM
thank you.

You are very welcome :hugs I hope you can get him home soon!

xkrazybaby67x
10-01-2008, 01:39 AM
You are very welcome :hugs I hope you can get him home soon!

I hope so too!

xkrazybaby67x
10-07-2008, 01:53 PM
DB's grandmother passed away this morning. He had made his decision not to come home early, but I am utilizing this information to inform him that she has passed. Thank you for the info again.

Navywife85
10-27-2008, 12:55 PM
i just have a question this is our second red cross message but i was wondering if there is anyway i can check the status on it.

SoldiersXXGirl
10-29-2008, 12:00 AM
Thanks for this!! :hugs :hugehug

I am pregnant and to be due in December and I really didn't know how to go about contacting the Red Cross to at least try to get Brandon home for the birth. We really want him to be there because he messed out on so much of the birth. He was at training when I first found out and he came home but he had to leave again and then he come home once more but he left again to go to Iraq. He's been gone since May and he just came home for r&r a little while ago. I was worried about not doing it right and him not being able to come home but now I know how to do it so if it ends up to where he can't come home :no I'm gonna :vent and then I'm gonna throw a :hissyfit and a :catfight and then i'm gonna try some :boxing out on the people that said no.

hahaah

Well anyways, thanks so much :hugs