Army Needs Blood

Not suprising, war increases demand. From Military.com:

Injuries caused by insurgent attacks in Iraq have forced military donation centers to meet supply levels that exceed peacetime needs, said Lt. Col. Emmett Gourdine, director of the Fort Knox Blood center.
The demand for blood - almost all of which goes to a battlefield - has grown 400 percent since the war in Iraq began, he said. The quota the Army gave donation centers before combat operations began in Afghanistan was roughly 25 units a week, or $6,300 if purchased commercially.

But they rarely ask for civilian blood:

The Army does not routinely take blood from civilian sources because of cost and the risk of depleting supplies that may be needed at home. Service members also cannot donate immediately after serving because blood-borne diseases in Iraq could infect supplies.

I didn't know that!