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In 1940, as the U.S. Government prepared for possible American involvement in the war that was raging in Europe, the U.S. military braced for a large number of casualties. In June 1940, the Surgeons General of the Army and Navy asked the American Red Cross and the National Research Council to find a way to stockpile massive blood reserves that could be used by the armed forces in the event of war. The American Red Cross called upon the leading experts in the field of blood collection and preservation, including Dr. Charles R. Drew, who had taught at Howard University's College of Medicine. The project Dr. Drew supervised paved the way for a national blood program that operated throughout World War II, providing 13 million pints of blood and plasma to wounded U.S. soldiers.