3rd HBCT Soldiers, Families Support Blood Drive

By Staff Sgt. Natalie Hedrick, 3rd HBCT Public AffairsJune 18, 2009

3HBCT Blood Drive_Ball
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3HBCT Blood Drive_Chadwell
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Brad Chadwell, Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, watches as Stephanie Davis of the Fort Benning Blood Donation Center draws his blood at the Armed Forces Blood Program's blood driv... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
3HBCT Blood Driive
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FORT BENNING, Ga. - Soldiers, Families and supporters of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, donated 482 units of blood at the 3rd HBCT's blood drive for the Armed Forces Blood Program, held at the Kelley Hill Recreation Center at Fort Benning, Ga., June 5.

At the end of the day, the amount of blood donated broke two previous records, including the largest-recorded blood drive for Fort Benning, which gathered 232 units over a two-day span, and the largest AFBP single-day donation, which was 380 units.

All donations collected were shipped overseas within 72 hours, to help injured servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This motivated some Soldiers.

"My first sergeant told me a story of how he was hurt during a deployment and that motivated me to come down here and give blood," said Spc. Brad Chadwell, Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment. "That could be me one day, and I would want someone to do the same."

Lieutenant Colonel James Carlisle, 3rd HBCT Civil Military Operations Officer, believes the event could have generated even more donations had the more medical personnel been available to take blood.

The success of the event prompted the 3rd HBCT to consider another blood drive in mid-September at a larger venue with three times as many blood collection teams.