Around the Clock, Around the Globe ─ Red Cross Helps Military Connect with Families during Emergencies

Woman in Red Cross vest sits at desk looking at a computer

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Andrea Rassia G Brandt, a representative in the American Red Cross Hero Care Center at Fort Sill, takes a call. The Lawton, Oklahoma, call center is part of the Hero Care Network, which provides emergency communications and critical services to military members, veterans and their families all over the world 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

Woman in Red Cross shirt passes out bags of comfort supplies to soldiers in uniform

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The American Red Cross provides comfort kits to all new recruits soon after their arrival at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. Often, Red Cross volunteers are the first faces new service members see after they take their Oath of Enlistment and the last before they say goodbye to their families prior to deployment. A Red Crosser will be there to share how the Red Cross can support military members and their families through the Hero Care Network and other programs. Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

Man in Red Cross shirt sits at a desk, holding phone to his ear

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Chandler Morgan is part of a team of expeditionary mobile staffers who deploy with the American Red Cross to military bases overseas, providing support and comfort to service members while they’re away from home. Delivering emergency communication messages to military commands received from the Hero Care Network is a large portion of their duty. In countries like Poland where news of emergencies can come from a hospital in a foreign country, Red Crossers work with other Red Cross/Red Crescent national societies to get an incident verified so military commands can make decisions as to whether the soldier can return home to be with their family. Photo by Brad Zerivitz/American Red Cross

Man in Red Cross shirt sits and talks to woman in military uniform

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Through every phase of duty, service members and their families face a unique, sometimes daunting set of challenges. From the first day of enlistment to life after service, Red Cross team members are committed to providing a continuum of care. Photo illustration by Abby Walker/American Red Cross

January 14, 2026

To access the Hero Care Network, visit redcross.org/saf, download the
Red Cross Hero Care App, or call a Hero Care specialist at 1-877-272-7337.

The American Red Cross has supported those in uniform since the founding of our organization in 1898. Today, we serve our nation’s military, veterans and their families through our “Hero Care Network,” enabling us to provide critical services to this community across the country and around the world.

The Hero Care Network is available 24/7, 365 days a year. One of the services we provide is emergency communication messages, a process which enables us to help military families communicate with their loved ones and help facilitate their return home.

We can help connect families after an illness or death of an immediate family member or a significant life event such as the birth of a child. When a service member or their family member initiates an emergency message, Red Cross staff work with the family and appropriate professionals, such as doctors and nurses, to verify the emergency. Once initiated, this verified message is provided to the command, enabling the service member’s commander to make an informed decision regarding emergency leave.

Each year, the Red Cross supports active duty service members and their families through more than 60,000 emergency communications cases.

To access the Hero Care Network, visit redcross.org/saf, download the Red Cross Hero Care App, or call a Hero Care specialist at 1-877-272-7337. To best prepare for an emergency, please review the eligibility requirements and keep on-hand your service member’s information needed for reporting an emergency message with the Hero Care Network. You can find more information here on how to initiate an emergency communication message.

Emergency communications is just a part of the support the Red Cross provides to our nation’s military, veterans and their families. Through our Service to the Armed Forces programs, we maintain a presence on over 380 military installations and deployment sites worldwide. Visit here to learn more.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.