The costs of an ongoing war

When I bought the first batch of 100 tourniquets each one cost $26.99 each, but fast forward to today and the same CAT generation seven costs $34.95 each. While it is still possible to get the original price it is now a wait of 14 weeks to have an order filled. We expected prices to increase as it was only a matter time; between the supply chain issues globally, inflation, and skyrocketing demand. However, how quickly it occurred has surprised us. The Russian invasion is barely three months old. We will continue to procure supplies as we can and in the meantime I have put up some of my own funds to help in other ways.

Olia worked diligently and locked in a printing deal with a local Ukrainian printing house to print several hundred copies of the latest U.S. Army Combat Life-Saver (CLS) manuals and Ukrainian medical manuals. We will have some pictures soon showing classes in operation, training Ukrainians in basic medical skills. As important as our medical supplies are, so is training. You do not need to be an EMT to save a life and you do not need wealth to make a difference. Your help allows us to keep doing what we have been doing since this war began, please consider helping more.

слава україні!

Andrew

The Payoff

This is the moment that makes all the toiling worth it. When you see that people you are trying to help get that help. We recently received images from the front lines of our supplies reaching those who need it. (You can view these images under the “Success” tab on our website.)

Thanks to our many contributors and our partners in and outside Ukraine, we have been able to get tourniquets and combat gauze directly in the hands of those in the fight.

Thanks to your faith in us, Operation Blue Dawn has managed to procure medical supplies in the USA and send it across the globe to have a direct impact on the Ukrainian war effort.

As of now Operation Blue Dawn has sent nearly 200 tourniquets and 100 combat gauze into Ukraine, but the fight is not over. Another looming offensive by Russia means even more Ukrainians need these medical supplies.

~ Andrew ~

Logistics really do win wars

It’s easy to buy tourniquets and combat gauze, it is not so simple to ship them to a war zone. Very un-conveniently there is no battlefield Fedex. So how do you ship into war zone? 

I quickly figured out where to buy from but shipping internationally and then into an active war zone is to say the least daunting. Luckily, Olia had part of the answer. Her friend, Nataliia, was running a network of vehicles that would go from Poland into Ukraine. Between Nataliia and Olia there were enough contacts that we could move supplies to many parts of Ukraine. Now we needed to solve getting supplies into Poland. 

Moving items into Poland actually proved be the hardest part of the operation, Europe was being practically drained of medical supplies in the first few weeks. So United States was the only option. This proved to be a literal mountain because of the laws and fees surrounding importing and exporting. We spent hours online and on calls trying to figure out how to ship for low cost to Poland and there is not easy answer (there still is not). As the saying goes if was easy everyone would be doing it.  

Operation Blue Dawn has taught us a lot about logistics. So far we have been up to the challenge and we have not failed.  

~ Andrew ~

Why this started…

I have been to Ukraine and grew to enjoy the people and the culture. It is not my homeland of the United States, but it is the next nation I feel most comfortable in. I have worked there, visited there, and I met my Fiancee Olia there. As Russia began building up on the border I was like many who did not believe initially Russia would invade, however as the weeks dragged on my disillusionment evaporated. After saying goodnight to Olia on the phone and I was scrolling Twitter I saw the first posts come in of explosions in Kyiv….my heart sank and as more posts rolled in I began to frantically calling Olia back to wake her up.

Olia was in Lviv at the time and when she answered I in quick order told her was going on. The next 40 hours are a blur to me; a mix of scrolling social media and the web to learn what I could to keep Olia updated, minimal sleep and food, and talking to Olia as she made sure her family was safe and working on securing her own safety. When Olia was finally safe in Poland she was very saddened and wanted to help Ukraine. It was at that moment I knew I had to do something.

Operation Blue Dawn was not an idea of mine, that credit goes to Olia. However, I did come up with the name which is a play on the title of the movie “Red Dawn”. I wanted the title of this effort to stand on its own. I wanted people to understand that this was a specific effort with one clear objective; supply Ukrianians fighting the Russian’s with items that I know work; Combat Action Tourniquet (CAT) and Combat Gauze. The Army drills into your brain that if you remember nothing else from CLS (Combat Life-Saver) remember to put a damn tourniquet on the injured limb and save a life.

I want to provide the Ukrainians fighting, both civilian and military, the same chance.

~Andrew~