P’Marie Jones was an American Red Cross disaster volunteer for just a handful of months before a new role within the organization called on her interests and expertise, and she jumped on the opportunity to join the American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces expeditionary mobile staff team. This special workforce serves military members who are deployed to designated theaters of operation around the world.  

“What caught my eye about this position was really the honor to serve our military,” P’Marie said. “I feel like our military does so much for our country and just to have the honor to serve them, I was like, ‘Ok, that's for me.’ It is the proximity with them. I’m not doing something from the back end; I am right there next to them.” 

Guided by a Congressional Charter, the Red Cross serves as the communications medium between service members and their families during emergencies. For nearly 140 years, Red Crossers have supported service members in every major forward deployment and mobilization of the U.S. military by relaying urgent messages relating to the health and wellness of family members and extended families, and through respite and whole health activities, onboarding hundreds of volunteers, and working alongside command leadership to ensure adequate care is present as humanitarian needs arise. 

Soon after her in-processing at Camp Atterbury in Indiana, P’Marie departed for her six-month deployment to Jordan. Other members of her expeditionary team were assigned to provide support to members of the U.S. military in various locations across the globe, from Kuwait, Qatar, Djibouti and Iraq, to Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. 

P’Marie’s day-to-day schedule in Jordan involved volunteer management and partner connections, planning and creating respite activities, and supporting the Hero Care Network with emergency communication messages when needed. 

But, as hostilities in the Middle East escalated, P’Marie’s assignment also evolved to meet the needs of the moment. 

When requested, the Red Cross supports federal operations for evacuated U.S. citizens and their dependents from overseas locations. After restocking Red Cross canteen items in Jordan, including hygiene kits, feminine products and other everyday essentials for self-care, P’Marie was called to Europe alongside many of her Red Cross mobile staff colleagues, and departed for Italy with nothing more than a 72 hour go-bag filled with personal necessities. 

Across Europe, Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces teams are experiencing a rapid increase in requests for assistance as evacuation operations expand. They are helping receive incoming evacuees, distributing essential comfort items and working closely with military leadership to ensure uninterrupted emergency communication services for families. 

Over the course of long days providing comfort and support in the form of meals and snacks, hygiene kits, blankets, health services, and emotional support to families at evacuee reception centers, one seemingly simple moment can serve as a powerful reminder of why providing for the humanitarian needs of the military community remains a critically important part of the Red Cross mission.

“I was doing inventory and there was a message over the intercom, and the announcement was, ‘attention in the terminal’,” P’Marie recounted. “I want to send a shout out to a young lady who was Bahrain's teenager of the month. And it just so happened, this young lady was sitting in the Red Cross area, and I looked at her, and I was like, ‘Is that you?’”

A shy smile from the teen provided P’Marie with her answer. P’Marie and other members of the Red Cross team quickly located a Red Cross challenge coin – typically a sign of outstanding performance and given with due consideration – and presented it to the young woman, Enysa.

“No matter what she's going through, we wanted to let her know that her hard efforts and the work that she put into becoming Bahrain's Teen of the Month were recognized,” said P’Marie. “I'm just so happy to be a part of the acknowledgement to her. Her spirit and attitude for a young lady who had just been evacuated from her home, school, and friends was unbelievable. And I was just so glad to be in that moment.”

In the Middle East, communications constraints and evolving operational demands continue to shape Red Cross support, while in Asia, teams remain closely embedded with their units, providing steady assistance and caring for families of service members deploying to the region. 

Many staff members, including P’Marie, are filling dual roles – supporting both their original sites and sites in need of evacuation support elsewhere. 

“I'm not in Jordan, but I am still making things move for Jordan,” she said. “Our presence might not be there, but our mission still stands and we will do each and every thing that we can to alleviate suffering.”

Domestically, Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces teams are leaning forward to support military families awaiting news from overseas. Teams are also assisting those returning to the US, ensuring service members can access urgent messaging and family-related support. 

Across all regions, the American Red Cross is operating at an accelerated pace and adapting quickly, moving supplies where they are needed most and delivering compassionate care during a period of heightened uncertainty.

To learn more about Red Cross services for members of the US military and their families, please visit redcross.org/saf.