Military Assistance
Service to the Armed Forces helps service members and families cope with emergencies while in Alaska or deployed from their home base. The services include:
- emergency communication messages relating to the death or serious illness of a family member
- communicating the birth of a child while the service member is deployed
- a breakdown in child care arrangements or other family emergency
- access to financial assistance through military aid societies or other community agencies based on a verified emergency
- referrals to agencies for information, counseling or other social needs
- information for service members applying for humanitarian reassignment or hardship discharge
- addresses for locator assistance for family members trying to contact active duty service members
Services are also provided to help veterans appeal VA status and provide ARC volunteers to the VA system. Members of the National Guard and the Reserve, activated under Title 10, are eligible for services. Opportunities are available for training with the ARC Alaska Chapter in Health & Safety Services and Disaster Services. Opportunities exist for volunteers to learn valuable skills and participate in a variety of activities with the Alaska Chapter, American Red Cross.
Military Assistance Contact Information:
Ft. Wainwright, Ft. Greely, Eilson Air Force Base
Deb Jeppsen, Red Cross Station Manager
1024 Apple Street
Fort Wainwright, AK 99703
(907) 353-7234
jeppsend@usa.redcross.org
Elmendorf Air Force Base, Ft. Richardson
Diane Fearon, Red Cross Station Manager
8517 20th Avenue, Room 217
Elmendorf AFB, AK 99506
(907) 552-5253
fearond@usa.redcross.org
After Hours:
For active duty military assigned to Alaska military installations (877) 272-7337
For Coast Guard and National Guard (800) 403-0218
For families of service personnel stationed outside of Alaska (800) 403-0218
Available Services
Emergency Communication Messages help keep military personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of a family member, the birth of a child or other qualifying family emergency. The Red Cross will verify the emergency with the appropriate agency or medical personnel and then send the information through secure channels to the service member’s Command. Military authorities will respond to the request in the emergency message whether it’s for the service member to call home or return on Emergency Leave. Service members stationed around the world and those in deployed locations have access to Red Cross staff, some of whom are deployed in forward locations to help provide this service.
Community Agency Referrals most often involve access to emergency financial assistance. This is provided by referral to military aid societies, such as Army Emergency Relief (AER), Air Force Aid Society (AFAS), the Navy-Marine Corp Relief Society (NMCRS) and Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA). These groups have needs-based criteria for approval for interest free loans to help with the cost of emergency travel and related maintenance, basic maintenance to provide basic necessities when pay is delayed, extra costs incurred due to moving expenses, some categories of funeral expenses or essential vehicle repair during PCS moves.
Referrals can involve help with counseling, information related to relocation, housing, international tracing requests and an array of other topics.
Humanitarian reassignment and hardship discharge may become an issue when an emergency situation requires more than emergency leave as a solution. Red Cross caseworkers can provide information on the steps necessary to request a humanitarian reassignment closer to home or a hardship discharge. While the caseworker can explain the process involved, the service member or family must prepare the documents and submit them to military authorities for a decision.
Families, who are trying to locate active duty service members when contact has been interrupted, can request assistance through Locator Services. This requires the family to write a letter to the Locator for the service member’s branch of service with the reason for requesting the address, the service members full name, rank and branch of service, social security number or the parents’ full names and date and place of member’s birth, information regarding member’s last known address and their relationship to the service member. Processing requests can take as long as four weeks. The website for locator information is: http://www.defenselink.mil/faq/pis/PC04MLTR.html
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the role of Red Cross workers with the military in time of conflict?
A: The Congressional Charter of the American Red Cross mandates that services to the military will be provided and one of those services is verifying and sending Emergency Communication Messages, which help service members make informed decisions about leave or other matters in order to prevent, prepare for and respond to a family emergency. To do this efficiently when troops are deployed, Red Cross staff will be assigned to specific locations around the world, 24/7.
Q: When my grandfather died, my brother in the Army came home but my brother in the Air Force didn’t. Why did this happen?
A: Military commanders may make emergency leave decisions with or without an emergency communication message. The Red Cross message verifies the emergency and provides military authorities with current information with which to make an informed decision. Emergency Leave is ultimately a command decision.
Q: Can the Red Cross help get my husband home for the birth of our child?
A: No, a birth notification message can be sent once the baby is born. Usually the serviceman is given the opportunity to call the hospital, when possible. If there is an emergency related to labor, delivery or birth, a message verifying the situation is sent.
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