Armed Forces-AFES

Although the American Red Cross is not a government agency, it is the only organization responsible for establishing emergency communications between military service personnel and their families during an emergency.

AFES provides 24-hour, worldwide communications during personal emergencies such as illness and death, and the birth of a child. The Red Cross also provides military personnel and their families with additional support that includes: counseling, financial assistance, debriefing sessions and more. At times, unique programs may become active, such as a the Quality of Life Program that enables the community to provide troops with comfort items through the Red Cross.

When calling the Red Cross to send an emergency message to a family member, it is helpful to have the following information:

	Service Member's Full Name
	Service Member's SSN
	Branch of Service
	Military Address
	Information about the deployed unit and the home base unit (for deployed service members only)
	If you're calling to inform the service person of a family member's illness, please provide the physician's name, phone number and name of hospital
	If you're calling to report a death in the family, please provide the name and phone number of the appropriate funeral service provider

All of our emergency communication calls with servicemen and women who have "roots" in Bourbon County, Kansas, are outsourced through the Louisville, KY chapter. Please have the above information available when you call 1-800-696-3873.