“Fightin Fifth” earns several spots in the Fort Leonard Wood Blood Donor Center’s record book.

Soldiers from the 5th Engineer Battalion donated 106 units of blood to the Armed Services Blood Program on September 29th, earning them several spots in the Fort Leonard Wood Blood Donor Center’s record book. The “Fightin’ Fifth” Soldiers captured the No. 6 spot on the donor center’s all-time single-day donations list, which dates back to 2011. They’ve also logged the largest single-day donation to date in 2021 which tops the previous 82-unit mark tallied in January, which they also set. Additionally, the September 29th effort made these Soldiers the newest members of the donor center’s 100-unit club, reserved for organizations that donate 100 or more units of blood in a single-day drive. No unit has hit this milestone since Company B, 554th Engineer Battalion, donated 101 units on January 28th, 2020. This is the 5th Engineer Battalion’s second entry in this club — they donated 101 units on October 1st, 2018. The Fort Leonard Wood Blood Donor Center collects blood for the Armed Services Blood Program, the official blood collection organization for the Department of Defense. Collected blood goes first to medical facilities at deployed locations around the world. One out of four service members admitted to a medical facility in those areas of the world require a blood transfusion. Collected blood also goes to military hospitals throughout the Department of Defense. The military healthcare system requires about 400 units of blood every day and it’s the ASBP’s mission to ensure it’s available.