Given the good detail on transporting milk and such, I thought it worth 
posting the whole thing:

However, as a UKan, I'm just so sad that she gets to be sent away like 
this, at such a crucial time in her son's life... wouldn't happen here.

Morgan Gallagher

- - - - - - -

http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2008/jan/09/long-journey-for-mothers-milk/

Every two weeks since early September 2007, young Silas Bohl has 
received a special package from halfway around the world. His mother, 
Capt. Ginger Bohl, is deployed with the Air Force in Afghanistan. The 
packages contain 30 to 40 pounds of frozen breast milk that travels in a 
convoluted, globe-trotting shipping route from the war zone to the 
Bohls' home. Ginger Bohl's deployment wraps up in mid-January, and she 
hopes to be back in San Angelo in time for Silas' first birthday.

Mike Bohl unpacks a cooler of frozen breast milk with his son Silas in 
their San Angelo home. The milk comes from Bohl's wife, Air Force Capt. 
Ginger Bohl, who is deployed in Afghanistan.

Silas turns 1 later this month. His mom, Ginger Bohl, is deployed 
overseas and sends her breast milk home from a war-torn land.

"It's my wife," says Michael Bohl, her husband and Silas' father. "She 
is an amazing woman - her spirit, her faith, everything about her just 
shines."

Ginger Bohl, an Air Force captain, is an active-duty doctor deployed in 
Afghanistan from Goodfellow Air Force Base. Since leaving in late 
August, Bohl has sent home biweekly shipments of her breast milk, frozen 
and shipped in 30- to 40-pound quantities directly to the Bohl family.

Thirty-five pounds of milk is about 4 gallons' worth. This delicate 
commodity makes it halfway across the planet, a distance of more than 
8,000 miles, in just three short days.

While Michael Bohl and the children have spent the majority of the 
recent months in Michigan visiting family, Ginger made time each day to 
pump milk using a Medela breast pump. Michael said she had reservations 
about being able to pump and store the milk on a daily basis.

Electricity and a working freezer were a must - what if the necessary 
facilities weren't available?

"My wife left with faith that everything would be provided for," Bohl 
said. "And it has."

Ginger sends the breast milk to her stateside family in one of several 
Igloo Ice Cube coolers using DHL shipping services. Michael then packs 
the cooler with items he thinks she might want or need and sends it 
back. He recognizes that not every family is as fortunate as his, as the 
shipping costs could be prohibitive.

"We're really blessed that we can afford to make these shipments so 
often," Bohl said. "But it can get quite pricey, and because of that, 
it's cost-prohibitive for a lot of military families."

On a recent day at the Bohl home, Olivia Bohl, 3 1/2 years old, squealed 
with delight as she played with her toys and listened to music. Her 
brother Silas was down for his daily nap, and Michael Bohl took a breath 
of temporary relief known only to those who have the important job of 
raising children.

Since no moratorium exists on training exercises or deployment for 
breast-feeding mothers, Michael Bohl said, he feels that the military 
should make more of an effort to provide facilities for mothers who 
choose to breast-feed.

"What I'd really love to see the military do is provide compensation for 
families who choose to breast-feed their children," he said, "even 
though the mother is away on deployment."

However, the problem is not simply cost-related: Bohl said he recognizes 
that what some take for granted in the U.S. is simply not an option in 
many parts of the world.

"Something as simple as an electrical outlet and a freezer can make all 
the difference," he said.

Lt. Col. Susan Baker at Goodfellow Air Force Base said that there has 
been no moratorium on deployment for breast-feeding mothers beyond the 
first four months of a child's life since late 2006. Baker acknowledged 
that deployed breast-feeding mothers can encounter obstacles. "It's 
highly dependent on where a person is deployed," she said. "Some places 
are better-equipped than others."

Help with wrangling bureaucracy would help many families that share the 
Bohls' desire to breast-feed. Bohl says his family encountered a lot of 
red tape when trying to ship the breast milk.

Shipments have been held up by customs and the USDA because of the 
potential for infectious diseases.

"There's one guy at JFK (airport in New York City) who is now very 
informed about the benefits of breast-feeding and why we needed the milk 
right away," Bohl said. "I was even sent to the IRS to get the milk 
because they thought we were running some kind of Afghani breast-milk ring."

Through all the mishaps and difficulties, Ginger Bohl has been able to 
provide vital nutrition for Silas.

In an additional contact provided by the United Through Reading military 
program, Ginger also has been able to read to her children. Through the 
use of a webcam, the children are able to see their mother whenever they 
wish.

Ginger Bohl returns to her family in a few days. Whether Silas will be 
able to resume breast-feeding with his mother is unclear.

"She's been gone for so long, nearly half of his life," Bohl said. 
"Every time he hears her on the TV, he crawls up to touch it. He knows 
her face and her voice. He knows his mommy. I know it won't be a problem."

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