Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka, CAP’s national commander and CEO, gave blood on January 16 at a donor site near his Michigan home as part of Operation Pulse Lift campaign to collect blood for the American Red Cross. [Courtesy: Civil Air Patrol]
Key Takeaways:
Civil Air Patrol's "Operation Pulse Lift" recently achieved a significant milestone by collecting its 10,000th blood unit, with Barb Clevenger making the milestone donation.
Launched before the pandemic, the mission expanded dramatically in response to COVID-19-induced blood shortages, becoming the longest series of emergency blood donation center operations by a single organization, sponsoring 146 centers.
The blood collected has supported numerous humanitarian efforts, aiding hospitals during natural disasters (wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes) and providing critical supplies for military installations, demonstrating CAP's vital role in emergency infrastructure.
Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
