Give blood to our military

I was completely unaware of the U.S. Armed Force Blood Program until I saw this post by Greyhawk over at Milblogs. I followed the links and read the article about the blood drive at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC. I wanted to see if there might be a blood drive I could participate in. But, knowing my sisters had been unable to participate in campus blood drives while they were in college, I also need to look into whether or not I actually could donate. Turns out I can't, due to living in Europe for extended periods of time post-1980 (mad cow, don't you know - the beef in the commissary came from European cows...); I am "deferred from donating indefinitely". But, most people in the United States didn't spend more than 3 months total in England or more than 6 months total in Europe between January 1980 and December 1996, or more than 5 years total in Europe between January 1980 and today (we were in Germany from 1978 to 1982, and again from 1986 to 1990 - like I said in a previous post, I've spent more time living in one city in Germany, total, than any other city I have ever lived in...). There are, of course, other restrictions (a few other travel restrictions, and of course, medical restrictions), but please go find out if you might be able to give blood to those who risk shedding their blood for the freedoms we enjoy here at home.