Stateside Blood Donations Needed

Troops in Southwest Asia are depending upon troops at stateside bases to donate blood because members cannot donate for one year after they return home, said Maj. Julie Zwies, officer in charge of the Expeditionary Blood Transshipment Center. The transshipment center is the hub for all blood distributed to medical units throughout the region. Major Zwies, also the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group’s support flight commander, said blood comes from donors at military bases throughout the United States. Before shipping the blood to forward bases, members of the Armed Services Whole Blood Processing Laboratory-East, at McGuire AFB, N.J., process it. Then C-17 Globemaster III or commercial cargo aircraft transport it to the center. The center distributes it each week to forward-deployed locations throughout the Southwest Asia theater depending on need. For more information on the Armed Services Blood Program, visit www.militaryblood.dod.mil.