Veterans Day: ImpactLife Honors Commitment and Sacrifice of Veterans

Published by Kirby Winn on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 in News Releases

On Veterans Day (November 11), ImpactLife salutes veterans of the United States Armed Services and celebrates the longstanding connection between blood donation and military medicine. In sharing appreciation for the commitment and shared sacrifice of veterans across our region, ImpactLife invites all eligible donors to honor those who served by scheduling an appointment for blood donation during the week of Veterans Day.

To book an appointment for blood donation, call (800) 747-5401, text LIFESAVER to 999-777, or schedule online at www.bloodcenter.org or via the ImpactLife mobile app (www.bloodcenter.org/app). Donors will earn points that can be used to order the "Heroes For Life" T-shirt from the ImpactLife Donor Rewards Store.

Many of the early and most essential developments that enabled the existence of modern blood banking came due to the necessity of transporting and storing human blood to be given to patients who suffered injuries on the battlefield. And many of the blood center’s most dedicated, longtime donors gave blood for the first time during their years of military service. That includes Dr. Burl Randolph, Jr., Col., U.S. Army (Ret.). In the video below, Dr. Randolph shares his thoughts on the connection between values imbued by military service and the support community blood providers see from veterans today.

download interview clips and photos featuring Dr. Burl Randolph (Google Drive)

Military Medicine and Early Innovation in Blood Banking

The evolution of blood banking is inseparable from the demands of military medicine. Faced with unprecedented numbers of battlefield casualties in the early 20th century, medical teams and researchers developed practical solutions — from anticoagulant use and plasma preservation to mobile collection units — that transformed the ability to deliver transfusions where and when they were needed most.

Military campaigns create intense, real-world laboratories for experimentation. Working in the early years of World War II, Dr. Charles Drew developed techniques for blood storage, and applied his knowledge to help develop large-scale blood banks that allowed medics to save thousands of Allied forces' lives during the war.

These developments helped medical scientists learn to prevent the clotting of collected blood, stabilize blood and plasma for shipment, and organize rapid collection and distribution systems under austere conditions. Wartime adaptations were rapidly translated into peacetime hospitals and community blood programs, leading directly to the first hospital blood repositories and, ultimately, the national systems in place today that keep blood available for surgeries, trauma care, and chronic treatments.

Opportunities to Give Blood on Veterans Day

ImpactLife invites donors to honor the commitment and sacrifice of our nation's veterans by giving blood during the week of Veterans Day (Tues., Nov. 11). 

Search all Donor Centers and Blood Drives

HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital (Effingham, Ill.)

University of Illinois ROTC (Urbana, Ill.)

Lincolnland Community College (Springfield, Ill.)

SSM Health Dean Medical Group (Madison, Wis.)

Illinois State University (Normal, Ill.)

Clarke University (Dubuque, Iowa)

Faith Oakville (St. Louis, Mo.)

Pence Elementary (Fairfield, Iowa)

About ImpactLife

ImpactLife's mission is to save lives by engaging donors, supporting partners, and advancing medicine. Founded in 1974, ImpactLife supplies blood products and services to more than 130 hospitals, emergency services organizations, clinical researchers, and other blood centers throughout Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri. The nonprofit blood provider is ranked among the leading 12 blood suppliers in the United States. For more information on current blood inventory levels, our donor promotions, and more, see www.bloodcenter.org and find us @impactlifeblood on Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

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