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Overview
Service to military families and veterans is one of two services mandated by the U.S. 1905 Congressional Charter to the American Red Cross. Both active duty and community-based military can count on the Red Cross to provide emergency communications that link them with their families back home, access to financial assistance, counseling and assistance to veterans. Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces personnel work in 756 chapters in the United States, on 58 military installations around the world and with our troops in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq and is linked to every Navy Ship at sea. These communications are delivered 24 hours a day/7 days a week/365 days a year. While providing services to 1.4 million active duty personnel and their families, the Red Cross also reaches out to more than 1.2 million members of the National Guard and the Reserves and their families who reside in nearly every community in America.Serving one's country through military service can present its own unique set of difficulties for service members and their families. Red Cross caseworkers serve as counselors to military personnel, helping them identify issues and resources to address personal, financial and family-related problems. If assistance is needed beyond the scope of Red Cross, service members are provided with information and referrals to other agencies.
Get To Know Us Before You Need UsActive Duty Military Personnel, the Reserves and National Guard
Members of the U. S. Armed Forces don't have to be actively deployed to benefit from American Red Cross support. The Red Cross provides services to 1.4 million active duty military members and their families. Our services are available to all branches of the military. Just like active duty military members, civilian-based military members also benefit from American Red Cross services. The Red Cross supports the nearly 1.2 million members of the Reserves and National Guard and their families living in their local communities and when they are mobilized. Red Cross services are also available to members of the Reserve Officers Training Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, recruiters, retirees and to their families.
The American Red Cross wants members of the military, National Guard, Reserves and other community-based military personnel to get to know us before you need us. All too often, members of the military, Reserves and National Guard don't know about available Red Cross services until they are mobilized. Knowing in advance that communication links, access to financial assistance and counseling will be available in an emergency brings peace of mind to the military and to the families from whom they are separated. Similarly, knowing that Red Cross services are available to inactive service members and their family members provides a safety net in times of need.
Publications:
Get to Know Us Before You Need Us: Serving the Community-Based Military and Their Families (ARC 1129, July 2004) explains American Red Cross services for National Guard and Reserves and their families. This handbook is also available in Spanish under the title: Conózcanos antes de que nos necesite: Sericios para el personal military su familia (ARC A1129S). You can request both of these from the Orange County Chapter by calling (714) 481-5300.
How To Contact The Red Cross For Assistance:If you live in Orange County you can call us at (714) 481-5300 or 1-800-696-3873 (during after hours) for assistance or email us at saf@oc-redcross.org.
Active-duty service members stationed in the United States and family members residing with them can call 877-272-7337 (toll-free).
Family members who do not reside in the service members' household, members of the National Guard and Reserves, retirees and civilians should contact your local Red Cross chapter. You can find your local chapter at www.redcross.org.
Active-duty service members and Department of Defense civilians stationed overseas and family members residing with them can call base or installation operators or the Red Cross office at their overseas location.
Important Information* you will need to provide to a caseworker when requesting services:
*Family members, it is important you obtain the information above from your soldier before deployment.
In times of a major disaster in the United States, you can also use our Safe and Well website to search for a loved one in the disaster area. To learn more about Safe and Well please visit our website at www.redcross.org.
To see how the American Red Cross of Orange County can help you, please click here.
601 N. Golden Circle Drive, Santa Ana, CA, 92705
Phone: (714) 481-5300 Website: www.oc-redcross.org
