Red Cross nurses and ambulance drivers served during the Spanish-American War and World War I. Red Cross canteens welcomed American troops during World War II, and American Red Cross recreation clubs were established close to the front lines in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. During the 1990-91 conflict in the Persian Gulf, the Red Cross provided service members and their families with financial assistance, crisis intervention, support groups, and a variety of other services.

The American Red Cross has been assisting men and women in uniform for more than a century. Beginning in the mid-1800's, the organization's founder, Clara Barton, risked her life on the battlefields of the Civil War to tend to fallen soldiers.

The Red Cross relays some 4,000 emergency messages between members of the Armed Forces and their families every day - that's one every 22 seconds.

In 1998, Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services reached 843,992 members of the Armed Forces and their families. In the majority of cases, more than 560,000, the Red Cross provided emergency communications and reporting.

The Red Cross provided 6,000 military families with financial assistance totaling approximately $4.4 million in 1998.

Red Cross chapters serve local veterans and their families, helping them obtain their rightful benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Chapters work through the Red Cross office located at the Board of Veteran Appeals in Washington D.C., which represents the veterans before the appeals board.