The Flight Jacket Military News For Flight

According to the Army Institute of Surgical Research’s Joint Trauma System, blood loss accounts for 79 percent of potentially survivable combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, which makes blood donation crucial to saving troops’ lives.

Service members donated blood to The Armed Services Blood Program mobile blood drive at the Marine Corps Exchange Dec. 29.

The Armed Services Blood Program is the major collector of blood for all branches of the United States military and depends on the donations of service members to help save the lives of troops around the world, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominica Aure, hospital corpsman and petty officer in charge at the ASBP.

The ASBP is a joint service program that combines the services of the Army, Navy and Air Force, hospitals and medical centers from more than 20 facilities around the world.

The program has centers that operate mobile blood drives to fulfill the requirement of 1,200 units of blood per month, added Larry D. Clements, a phlebotomist at Naval Medical Center San Diego.

“It is very important for service members to donate,” said Aure. “We can only give what we have.”

If the program does not receive enough blood from service members it must purchase blood from the Red Cross or other sources, added Aure.

Staff Sgt. Christopher O. Dunbar, an electrician at Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, donates frequently and urges more service members to donate and show their support to those in need.

“It definitely makes a difference,” said Dunbar, who recently returned from an overseas deployment. “Every little bit counts.”

The donations from service members are vital to the program and exemplify a selfless act of support for the troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world.

The blood donor center is located on the first floor of the Naval Medical Center San Diego, and accepts blood donations from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.