Service to the Armed Forces (SAF)

Mission Statement
In keeping with the American Red Cross Mission of helping people in crises, service to the Armed Forces will keep American Families in touch with their loved ones around the world.

Services Provided
The Porter County Chapter is required to provide emergency services to members of the military and their families. Service to the Armed Forces caseworkers are on call 24 hours a day in order to deliver emergency messages to military personnel and their families. The Porter County Chapter also helps to facilitate financial assistance from military aid societies in the form of loans and grants.

Emergency Messages For Service Members
If you are a Porter County resident and need to send an emergency message to a service member, please call our 24 hour hotline: 1-800-696-3873.

When you call to send an emergency message, have the following information ready:

•complete military identification of the service member such as rank
•name (be sure to use the member's full legal name, as listed in military records, not a nickname)
•social security number
•branch of service
•military address

Red Cross communication services are provided when verified information is needed quickly by:

• Family members who are not able to contact a service member when a family crisis occurs, or when regular communication patterns between service members and their families have been disrupted.
• Service members who are concerned about a situation at home and are unable to contact their family, or who need verification of a family situation to make a decision regarding a leave request.
• Military authorities who must make decisions about leave for a service member.

The majority of messages will fall into one or more of these categories:

• BIRTH NOTIFICATION: A verified statement of the birth of a service member’s child.
  
• DEATH NOTIFICATION: A verified statement that a specific person has died.
  
• LEAVE OR EXTENSION OF LEAVE: A request made by a service member to military authorities for leave or extension of leave already granted.
  
• DOCTOR’S INTERPRETIVE STATEMENT (DIS): A statement, in layman’s terms, from a recognized medical practitioner about the medical condition of a service member or a family member.
  
• FINANCIAL PROBLEMS: A verified statement of financial need.
  
• PERSONAL OR FAMILY PROBLEMS: A verified statement of other problems that are creating a hardship on the service member or family.

The authority for the Red Cross to provide services on military installations is derived from Department of Defense (DOD) Directive 1330.5. Each branch of the armed forces has its own regulations that implement the DOD directive.