Qestion For Vets Of All Era's

[timetowinarace]

I was reminded from a post in another thread that Gulf War Veterans are not allowed to donate blood. I remember being told by the Army when we came back from the desert that we could not donate but was/am unsure if this ban was still active. I have not officially verified that it is still active.

The question is, Are veterans from other conflicts banned from donating blood, especially this curent conflict?

[purple]

I don't know about that...but I do know that anyone (active duty & family members) who were stationed in Europe during the 80's & 90's are not allowed to donate blood due to the threat of...........................get this..........................Mad Cow Disease. No shit. I've tried to donate several times and have been turned down...likewise with my oldest son. Is that not ridiculous??

[simple fly]

vets that were ever in the marshall islands can't donate blood

[purple]

All of this kinda makes you wonder....I mean our bodies make new blood continually via our bone marrow. So it isn't like we have the same blood in our system that we had way back when.

What aren't they telling us????

Does this mean we can't be organ donors either??

Edited March 10, 2009 by purple

[Testvet]

I take so many drugs they won't take my blood anymore I have O negative so they used to call me when I didn't show up for the normal donations I did it for like 10 years before Desert Storm and after DS they said NO and then I started having heart problems and haven't tried since then the last time I donated blood was Nov 1990

[sharon]

I was stationed in Okinawia Japan. When I got back to the states and tried to donate blood I was told that I was not able to. They said that there was a high risk of hep B. I in turn went to the doctor to be checked. When the results came back I was told that I had the anti virus. With the anti virus you can not get or transmit the virus. I still can't give blood

[cvsp]

Time,

I wonder if it was me that you are quoting.

I am double banned for donating blood. One for Gulf War Syndrome and the other for being stationed in Europe. I have a friend that donates regularly and he always asks about each ban jokingly and as of last Fall he reports they are still in effect.

I think the questioner simply asks if you served in the Gulf War from such and such times in the 90s. Not sure about the current conflict.