# Are military personnel 'forced' to give blood? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 1, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-military-personnel-forced-to-give-blood/545168 "2010-07-01T06:09:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-military-personnel-forced-to-give-blood/545168/21 "2010-07-05T04:36:11Z")
Nothing to add, except that you could often see a Red Cross “Please donate blood!” sign in the background in hospital scenes of _M_A_S_H\*. Yes, I know it was not a documentary. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-military-personnel-forced-to-give-blood/545168/22 "2010-07-06T03:26:38Z")
In 21+ years of active and guard time I have only been involved once. It was not manditory. I am now surprised to learn that I can’t cause I was stationed in Germany 89-91. So what do Europeans do for blood? ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-military-personnel-forced-to-give-blood/545168/23 "2010-07-06T03:51:52Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > In 21+ years of active and guard time I have only been involved once. It was not manditory. I am now surprised to learn that I can’t cause I was stationed in Germany 89-91. So what do Europeans do for blood? AIUI, it’s all about the mad cow beef from England that we might’ve been fed on base, so most Europeans aren’t effected [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-military-personnel-forced-to-give-blood/545168.md?page=1)