When military families face life-changing moments — a funeral, a medical crisis or even a baby’s early arrival — Carylon Morgan is often the voice of reassurance on the other end of the line.

From her home in Trego, Mont., Carylon volunteers with the American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces program. Her role is critical —  ensuring urgent emergency communications reach service members wherever they are stationed and then following up with the families waiting anxiously back home.

 “After the emergency communication message is sent out to the command, we follow up with the individual — the mother, the grandmother, the aunt, the sister, the brother  — whomever initiated the emergency communication,” she said. “We make sure that the service member has received the message and hopefully is on their way home.”

The Service to the Armed Forces team also works with commanding officers to verify family emergencies and streamline the process so help reaches families as quickly as possible.

Some emergency communications stay with Carylon long after the call ends. One in particular stands out.

A service member stationed in Kuwait was facing an extremely difficult situation back home. His wife was struggling deeply and considering suicide. The couple was able to connect by phone, and the wife began to recover.

“But unfortunately, it affected him,” Carylon said. “And so, he had to request an emergency communication message to get home because mentally he was not handling things, worrying about his wife.

 “He did get home and as far as I know, he and his wife are doing better.”

But not every emergency communication is tied to heartbreak. Some deliver joy.

“One woman sent out an emergency communication to get her husband home because her delivery date all of a sudden was several weeks early,” Carylon said. “And when I last talked to her, she was in the hospital, her husband was there, and they just had a baby girl.”

Moments like these are what keep her volunteering.

“It’s an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction that you’ve been able to help and assist people in times when they really are needed,” she said. “And so that’s why I do what I do. It’s nice to be a part of a happy event.”

Also a disaster responder

Carylon’s commitment to helping others extends well beyond her work with military families. She also serves as a key member of the Red Cross disaster cycle services team.

As a duty officer, Carylon helps dispatch volunteers to home fires and other local emergencies. She also supports mass care and sheltering efforts and recently volunteered at a Red Cross shelter in Libby, Mont., following devastating flooding and windstorms in Lincoln County in December.

Her role sometimes involves supporting families as they take the next steps toward recovery.

“I do shelter resident transition — so when they’re leaving a shelter and making plans of what they’re gonna do next,” she said.

Carylon also contributes to large-scale disaster operations far from home. She recently supported response efforts in Alaska following Typhoon Halong.

Wherever she is needed, she is ready to serve.

“I chose Red Cross because they are there in a time of disaster,” she said. “We can do it virtually, we can do it physically if you get deployed. And there are just so many different opportunities and ways to help.”

Get involved

More than 90 percent of the Red Cross workforce is made up of volunteers, with opportunities for nearly any interest or skill set. Learn more and join our team at redcross.org/montana.

Hero Care Network

The American Red Cross Hero Care Network provides emergency communications and critical services to military members, veterans and their families all over the world seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To request help, call 1-877-272-7337.