Service to the Armed Forces Members Deploy Overseas to Provide Volunteer Aid, Emergency Communications to Military

"We Believe in the Mission: Serving Those Who Serve, As Their Own Sacrifices Are Far Greater"

When the Civil War began in 1861, Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, quit her job and made it her mission to bring supplies to Union soldiers in need. This started a life-long career of aiding people in times of conflict and disaster. In 1862, she received official permission to transport supplies to battlefields and was at every major battle in Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina, where she also tended to the wounded and became known as the "angel of the battlefield."

Today, the precedent Barton set on the battlefield continues across the globe through the American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces. Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces leverages a network of more than 14,000 volunteers and staff members to deliver services to and support military commands at over 100 installations across the globe. Debra Cox, a member of Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces Team 54, is one of them. All 23 Red Crossers on Team 54 recently deployed to locations such as Djibouti, Iraq, Poland and Romania. Cox's destination for the next few months? Kuwait.

"Delivering emergency communications to military members is our primary goal," Cox said. "However, once in theater, we also work on morale programs and work alongside commands to ensure support for members as needs arise."

Red Cross volunteers help military families communicate with their loved ones and facilitate their return home to deal with emergencies on the home front through our Hero Care Network. Over the last year, the Red Cross provided over 367,000 emergency communications and more than 196,000 critical community services.

"Sometimes, this means walking with service members through their own extremely challenging times as they receive messages from home regarding the illness, injury or death of a loved one," Cox said. "This process includes getting these emergency messages to commands who then decide whether the military member will be released for the emergency, then working with a plethora of organizations to be certain the military member and their respective family members receive support during and after the family emergency."

Prior to deploying, Red Crossers undergo training to prepare them to provide critical services with a caring touch wherever and whenever needed.

"Leadership has ensured this by developing and unequivocally supporting the training required to be successful in the field," Cox said. "As is true of all Red Crossers, our hope is to make a difference. It is truly an honor and a privilege for Team 54, as it has been for over a century of Red Cross teams in military theaters around the globe. We serve without flinching because we believe in the mission: serving those who serve, as their own sacrifices are far greater."

Every day, men and women answer the nation's call to serve in the armed forces, and the Red Cross supports these heroes and their families from the day they enlist throughout their military careers and beyond. To learn more about Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces positions, visit here.

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