Community Social Services offers Armed Forces Emergency Services
Providing emergency communications anywhere in the world. You're never out of touch; around the clock, around the world, you can depend on the American Red Cross. Servicemen and women know they can count on the Red Cross to help them stay in touch with their families and offer assistance when emergencies arise. Every 11 seconds, the Red Cross helps a current or former member of the armed forces or one of their family members. 40,000 to 50,000 messages go out every year!
Reporting and Emergency Communications
In the event of an emergency, critical accident, illness or death in a service member’s immediate family, the Red Cross should be called at once. The Red Cross is equipped to verify the situation and relay an emergency leave request, if necessary, to proper military authorities. It is up to the commanding officer to decide whether or not to grant a leave.
Emergency Financial Assistance
When an emergency arises requiring the presence of the service member or their family, the Red Cross may provide an interest-free loan or a grant for travel expenses. These funds are disbursed on the basis of need. Budget counseling is also available to service members and their families, as are referrals to specialized sources of help.
Information, Referral and Advocacy
The Red Cross also helps military families cope with non-urgent problems by confidentially providing information, referral, and guidance. These services include helping military families receive assistance from other agencies and provide assistance with arranging family support.
Health and Welfare Inquiries
Regular communication between service members and their families is ordinarily no problem, but sometimes a long time with no word can be worrisome. The Red Cross can help. Through our worldwide communications network, we can communicate with the installation or ship where the service person is stationed. You’ll get a report on their welfare to give you peace of mind. Also, service members can request the same service related to families back home.
Nobody ever said being in the armed forces was going to be easy, for yourself or your family. Adjustments have to be made, problems solved, stresses and tensions resolved, and separations dealt with. THE GOOD NEWS IS WE CAN HELP! And you can help us, too, by supporting the American Red Cross with a donation of time or money.
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