The Armed Services Blood Program
http://www.tricare.osd.mil/asbpo/ needs eligible Type O blood donors to support ongoing military operations worldwide and to replenish the military's
frozen blood reserves.
"Type O donors are the first line of defense for trauma victims. Until a blood type can be verified,
Type O blood is used to keep trauma victims alive," said Air Force Lt. Col. Ruth Sylvester, Armed Services Blood Program director.
"Once their blood type is determined, type-specific blood is transfused. But without Type O blood available, many patients
would never make it until the test results came back."
A single battlefield injury victim can require more than 40
units of blood in an emergency. Type O donors are especially important to readiness because their blood can be transfused
safely for all blood types, especially in remote areas where it's not possible to test for blood type.
The Armed Services
Blood Program also needs Type O blood to maintain its frozen blood reserve. The military maintains a supply of frozen red
blood cells to use when fresh blood is not immediately available. Since frozen blood can be safely stored for up to 10 years,
it ensures that blood is always readily available to meet the military's needs worldwide.
Extending the shelf life
of blood from 42 days (for liquid red cells) to 10 years in strategic locations enables the blood program to make frozen blood
available until the supply of liquid blood begins to flow. But storage requirements and thawing equipment needed to use frozen
blood prevent it from being used everywhere.
Making the present need more acute is that the military blood donor centers
can only collect blood from active duty service members, government employees, retirees and military family members. That
excludes many Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans, who are deferred from donating for one year because they served in areas where
malaria is endemic. This makes regular donations from eligible donors critical.
"We're always thankful to our donors,"
Sylvester said. "We know that blood donations save lives every day. Repeat donors and those who ask that we call them when
their blood type is needed help ensure we have a consistent supply of all blood types. They're literally lifesavers when an
urgent need arises."
Blood program officials encourage potential donors or those who could sponsor a group blood drive
to contact their local military blood collection facility.
(Based on a release from Army Surgeon General's office,
executive agent for the Armed Services Blood Program.)
