Red Cross provides special services to military

Special to the Southeast Missourian

The American Red Cross movement began on the battlefield and, 150 years later, the organization's commitment to serving those who serve is stronger than ever. Now that conflict is underway, the Red Cross continues to support our service men and women. Red Cross employees and volunteers honor this commitment both at home and abroad, serving side-by-side with our troops, anywhere they are deployed.

Many military families are frequently separated and on the move. This often puts a strain on relationships. The Red Cross can help with personal and family problems, with long-term counseling, free of charge.

The Southeast Missouri Chapter provides many services to the military including:

Emergency communications. Under the 1905 congressional charter, the Red Cross is the sole agency designated to provide emergency communications for the U.S. military. If family members have an urgent need to contact a service member overseas, they can send a message through their local Red Cross chapter. The news must be highly important, such as a death, birth or family illness. The chapter then verifies the emergency and passes the message to one of two Red Cross communication centers located at Red Cross National headquarters or as Ft. Sill, Okla. Messages are then transmitted to a military camp or base where Red Cross staff members are assigned. Once received, the staff will then deliver the message to the designated service members as quickly as possible. The Red Cross can send messages quickly, anywhere in the world, including at sea, embassies and isolated military units.

The process also works in reverse. Service members may send urgent messages to their relatives through Red Cross staff, and Red Cross chapter workers will contact the family members in their home communities immediately.

Currently the U.S. Central Command has imposed a minimize order on all Red Cross messages within the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility (Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, UAE, Qatar, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan). That means only immediate family emergency information will be transmitted, such as death, serious illness and serious accidents, birth announcements, breakdowns in child care plans and extreme family problems.

Immediate family includes the following family members of either the soldier or the soldiers' spouse: parents and stepparents, spouse, children and stepchildren, brothers and sisters, stepbrothers and stepsisters, only living relatives, and any person who served as a full-time parent to a soldier or the soldier's spouse for at least a five-year period before the solider or spouse became 21 years of age.

Service families must have realistic expectations regarding emergency communications. There will be extended delays in emergency messages reaching service members due to troop movement, communications blackouts and limited access to communications systems.

Information needed to contact your serviceperson includes:

Name: Last, First, MI (Jr., Sr., II, etc.)

Branch of Service: Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard

Status: Active Duty, Active Reserve

Social Security Number: 123-45-6789

Rank: Sgt., Spec., PO (E1-E9)

Complete Military Address: Unit, Command, Base, (If overseas: APO/FPO number), C Co., 1/145th FA, Camp Casey, APOAE 09645

Birthday and duty telephone numbers are also helpful

Non-emergency communications. These deal with such things as health and welfare, safe arrival, powers of attorney, renewal of ID cards and household maintenance issues.

Access to e-mail and telephones is now extremely limited for the majority of service members in Kuwait. As troops are moving forward into Iraq there is little, if any, opportunity for communications with family members. Currently it is taking some mail three to five weeks to reach Kuwait from the US. Even within Kuwait mail is taking two weeks between camps for delivery. Families are encouraged to wait at least four weeks before a health and welfare message can be sent.

To assist in the delivery of non-emergency messages, family members must have a complete deployed address with APO/FPO for the message to be accepted.

Appropriate non-emergency messages received on the ground will immediately be sent to the service member through the military postal service within the theater.

Information, referral and advocacy. A variety of health and supportive services are available from the military and other sources, and the Red Cross helps military personnel understand government benefits, cut through red tape and get the help needed.

Humanitarian reassignment and hardship discharge. If hardship exists within the family that cannot be resolved, the Red Cross can counsel the family or service member on how to request a humanitarian reassignment closer to home or a hardship discharge.

Emergency financial assistance. When an emergency arises that requires the presence of the service member or his or her family, the Red Cross may, through the military aid societies, provide access to a grant or loan for travel expenses, burial of a loved one, assistance with food, temporary lodging or urgent medical needs.

Confidential counseling. Red Cross offers confidential counseling services to active duty, National Guard and reserve personnel and families. This is becoming increasingly important families prepare for the period of activation.

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American National Red Cross has begun implementing emergency relief activities in Iraq in full coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross (which is the lead agency for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in all conflict situations), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and other national societies (such as the Iraqi Red Crescent Society and the British Red Cross).

The American Red Cross emergency response to the crisis in Iraq will be characterized by a multi-faceted relief operation focusing on providing technical expertise to the International Federation, augmenting the ICRC and/or International Federation's pipeline capacity with relief supply support, supporting the ICRC and/or federation appeals with cash contributions and offering family tracing services in conjunction with the ICRC and relevant national societies.