JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — Service members may need to go home for a family emergency at any moment during a deployment.
Knowing what to do, who to talk to and how emergency leave works could be important for any service member, especially when time is critical.
"It's always stuff that comes up right away that the Soldier needs to go home now to take care of [it]," said Sgt. Jessica L. Faith, human resources sergeant, 259th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.
Faith, a native of Littleton, Colo., is one of two people who process emergency leave packets for her unit.
Service members will usually go on emergency leave for the death or critical illness of an immediate family member, although exceptions could be made on a case-by-case basis. A financial crisis or an important court date, such as a child custody hearing, could also constitute an emergency.
An emergency leave packet is usually signed and processed within two to three hours, and the leave itself is typically for 15 days.
If the family emergency does not concern death, bereavement, or critical illness, it's important for service members to know they may not be granted emergency leave, Faith said.
For example, if the life expectancy of a family member was more than a month, service members could have to wait until their scheduled rest and recuperation leave begins, she said.
However, Faith was quick to point out, going on R&R leave or not having enough accrued leave dates, or vacation days, would not prevent service members from going on emergency leave. In that event, service members could get advanced leave days, she said.
Although Army regulations do not require a Red Cross message, Faith said they are preferred and will help expedite the emergency leave process.
Indeed, Mary E. Messina, the Red Cross station chief, said the Red Cross's principal mission in theater is handling these emergency communications, which also include birth announcements.
"We're the messenger. The reason for the messages is to help commanders make good leave decisions," Messina said. "In the couple of weeks we've been here, we've handled almost 600 messages."
Messina said the military relies on the Red Cross for third-party verification, which is usually in the form of a doctor's interpretive statement, also known as a DIS. A DIS includes a diagnosis, prognosis of life expectancy and the doctor's recommendation of whether or not a service member should be present.
In the event of an emergency, Messina said families should contact their local Red Cross to initiate a message, making sure to include the service member's name, rank, social security number, unit and overseas address. Their local Red Cross chapter can be found at http://www.redcross.org/where/where.html.
The service member may also contact a Red Cross office in theater to either track an emergency message or start their own. In Iraq, Red Cross offices are located at Tikrit, Balad and Baghdad and Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
If a service member needs an extension on his emergency leave, it is a simple matter of contacting his unit and then submitting another Red Cross message, Faith said.
Though it will then be the service member's responsibility to contact the travel office in Kuwait to arrange for a new return flight.
An emergency could occur at any moment with any Soldier. In order to be prepared, Faith said leaders should have their paperwork in order and know what's going on with their service members and their families back home.