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Three weeks ago, an email came into the general
mailbox here at IAVA headquarters from an Army Lieutenant in Iraq whose unit
was experiencing a shortage of bandages called "QuikClot," that have
been crucial in preventing wounded Troops from bleeding to death on the
battlefield.
A nine-month old Army order specified that all Soldiers were to be issued
the bandages, but apparently someone didn't get the memo, and Troops were dying
because of this latest example of military supply problems.
IAVA staff forwarded the email to Mike Zacchea, a Marine Reservist and IAVA
member veteran who was wounded in Iraq and treated with those same
bandages. Mike, in turn, contacted Dorine Kenney, a Gold Star Mother whose son
Jacob was killed in Iraq
in 2003. Dorine now runs the Jacob's Light Foundation, which sends supplies and
care packages to Troops in Iraq.
Within days, Dorine's group had mailed 200 packets of QuikClot to the
Lieutenant in Iraq.
The latest news is that more than 100,000 QuikClot bandages have been
ordered by the Army, and Senator Charles Schumer is sponsoring an amendment to
the Defense Authorization Bill providing $20 million for more of these critical
bandages.
Click Here to read media coverage of the QuikClot issue.
IAVA, along with the Jacob's Light Foundation, was an important resource on
this issue, generating critical media attention and connecting the dots to get
the Troops what they need. Keep watching the IAVA website for further updates
on this important issue, and please consider making a contribution
to help support efforts like this one.
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