Veterans Day Blood Drive

Wounded warrior salutes Red Cross for services

Lance Corporal Neal Claar, blood recipient

Twenty-two-year-old Neal Claar, a lance corporal with the United States Marine Corps, was struck by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in September 2010. The impact left him seriously injured. He had severed an artery, which caused massive bleeding. It shattered his femur and broke a finger, ruptured his eardrum and riddled his body with shrapnel wounds. Neal also suffered from a traumatic brain injury and lost an eye and a finger. Blood transfusions were crucial to Neal's survival.

Though Neal had given blood with the American Red Cross prior to his injury, he and his family weren't familiar with the breadth of services the organization offers to members of the military. The Red Cross Services to the Armed Forces (SAF) offers resources for deployed service members and their families, providing emergency communications and supporting hospital outreach and programs for veterans.

On Veteran's Day, November 11, you can honor active military personnel and veterans by making an appointment to give blood at a Veterans Day Community Blood Drive sponsored by Suburban Evangelical Free Church. 

Thanks to generous financial donors, blood donors and volunteers, the Red Cross was there for Neal, providing him lifesaving blood products during surgery and a warm blanket for his mother as she rested at his hospital bedside.

Please take an hour of your time today and honor a Veteran by donating blood. To make an appointment call 1-800-REDCROSS