On June 24, John Groh needed urgently to speak with his son, Dan, a Marine stationed overseas. Donald, Dan’s grandfather, had passed away.

When Dan was a child, his grandpa, a former Marine and WWII veteran who served at Iwo Jima, would sit down with Dan and show him pictures from his time in the Armed Forces. This, as well as the close relationship they shared, inspired Dan to sign up to be a Marine at age 17. Since becoming a Marine, Dan has trained in the United State and throughout the South Pacific in places such as Okinawa, the Philippines and Australia.

“Whenever he gets the chance to call, he will. It’s sporadic,” says John. That’s why John turned to the Red Cross when he needed to share the sad news.

That night, John phoned the Red Cross caseworker and explained the situation. She verified the family’s emergency and sent a message to Dan on John’s behalf. “The caseworker handled it very well,” remarks John.

Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, Red Cross caseworkers send emergency communications to deployed service members on behalf of their family. Military members can have peace of mind knowing that when they are on a mission, in training or stationed far from home-and leaving cell phones and emails behind-they are still connected to home.

By 1:00 a.m., Dan received the news about his grandfather and phoned home. Though Dan was unable to make it back for the funeral, John was grateful that he had a link to his son---no matter where he was.

The American Red Cross in Southeastern Wisconsin relies on donations of time and money so they can provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies in Dodge, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth and Waukesha counties. To donate your time, please visit our Volunteer page. Financial donations can be made online through our secure contribution site.