How to Contact a U.S. Soldier in an Emergency

The Red Cross can help you contact a soldier.

It can be tricky to get in contact with a U.S. soldier, whether he is deployed overseas or serving on a base on the homeland. If you are a family member of a U.S. soldier and need to get in contact with him due to a family emergency, the American Red Cross can help you accomplish your mission.

Instructions

1. Call the American Red Cross at 800-733-2767. Press option "2" on your telephone keypad, which is the option for "Service to the Armed Forces." This number can be called 24 hours a day, seven days per week to ensure that you can always make contact with your loved one.

2. Advise the case worker that you need to contact a soldier due to a family emergency. You will need to provide the case worker with as much information as possible about the soldier, such as his first and last name, military branch and ranking, Social Security number, birthday, address, and where he was deployed from, if applicable. Provide as much information as possible to the case worker, as this will assist in getting your message to the soldier as soon as possible.

3. When the soldier is contacted through the American Red Cross, it can help the soldier's commanding officer to determine whether or not emergency leave will be granted. This is because the American Red Cross is able to verify to the commanding officer that there was indeed a crisis or emergency.

References

• American Red Cross: Emergency Communication Services