| Armed Services Blood Program Newsletter |
January 11, 2011 | |
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From the Desk of:
COL Francisco Rentas, Director, ASBPO
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There is no better way to kick off 2011 than by honoring our donors during National Blood Donor Month. This month we highlight just a few of our extraordinary donors--those who never fail to help us accomplish our mission. These donors stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the many other donors and supporters of the military blood program around the world. You are all unseen heroes and we thank each and every one of you. Happy New Year! Warm regards, COL Francisco Rentas
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Donating Platelets to Honor the Fallen: Maj. Perez Rocks National Blood
Donor Month!
 Deployed to Iraq with the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division in May of 2007, then Capt. Johnny Perez, was in a convoy when the Humvee in front of him hit a roadside bomb, killing Sgt. 1st Class Jesse Albrect and Pfc. Victor Fontanilla. Perez, former forward support company commander for the 1-501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, made an immediate vow to help wounded soldiers.
"After returning from Iraq, I really wanted to do something to help out and honor [Albrect and Fontanilla] at the same time," said Maj. Perez. "I wanted to help my brothers--be they soldiers, sailors, airmen or Marines--and their families, too."
Currently serving as a program integrator for the Army's, G-8, Program Analysis & Evaluation in Washington, D.C., Maj. Perez kept his personal promise, and became a regular platelet donor to the Armed Services Blood Program. He donates at the Pentagon donor center and since returning from Iraq, has donated monthly--35 platelet donations thus far.
Read the entire story on the ASBP website.
Photo: Maj. Johnny Perez, program integrator for the Army's G-8, Program Analysis & Evaluation in Washington, D.C. (right) is awarded the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal by Lt. Gen. Robert Lennox (left), deputy chief of staff, G-8 for the Army's staff. Perez has been a regular platelet donor for the Armed Services Blood Program in remembrance of two fallen soldiers.
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USS George Washington Host Blood Drives at Sea
 The staff and crew of the Okinawa Blood Donor Center and the USS George Washington can now add a whole new section to the dictionary of mobile blood drives. Recently, under the direction of Navy Lt. Cmdr. Mike Roth, who oversees the Okinawa donor center, 11 staff members and their gear were flown from Okinawa, Japan to the USS George Washington while it was still at sea. Hospital Corpsman 1st Class, Jun D. Villanueva, non-commissioned officer-in-charge, and the donor center team conducted four days worth of blood drives, collecting a total of 424 units. Blood drives have been held while ships are pier-side, but the USS George Washington blood drive marks one of the few occasions when an entire drive is conducted with the ship underway.
In 1970, Camp Zama, Japan, not Okinawa, served as the central U.S. military blood bank for the Pacific. An Army blood donor team with their gear flew from Camp Zama to the naval base at Subic Bay in the Philippines. There, the team of over 20 personnel boarded an aircraft carrier that sailed for Yokosuka Japan. The team collected approximately 2,000 units of blood and flew several loads of collected blood to Atsugi naval base in Japan near Camp Zama, and then rode the ship to Yokosuka.
Ret. Col. Tony Polk, former Armed Services Blood Program director, was then a junior officer in charge of the blood team. He states: "Our Army personnel got to know the Navy personnel and this reinforced the fact that we are all on the same team. It makes me happy that military blood bankers are still using their imagination to do things out of the ordinary. It is a lot of work, but this makes it fun."
To find out more about the ASBP or to make an appointment please visit us online: www.militaryblood.dod.mil. To interact directly with some of our staff or to get the latest news, visit us here: www.facebook.com/militaryblood.
For more on this story, watch the full-length video about the USS George Washington's blood drives here.
Photo: Armed Services Blood Bank Center--Okinawa Director Lt. Cmdr. Mike Roth (left) thanks USS George Washington Senior Medical Officer Capt. Joseph LeVan (right).
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Picture This!
The ASBP Focal Point picture of the month
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 Ultimate ASBP whole blood and platelet donors, Jim and Linda Parker, donate again, just in time to kick off National Blood Donor Month! In 2008, the couple began a mission, which is now nearly complete, to donate blood in each of the 20 ASBP blood donor centers. Their visit on Dec. 23, 2010 to the Robertson Blood Center at Fort Hood, Texas, marks the 15th center they've visited. To learn more about the Parker's travels across America, and see where they've been and where they are planning to go next, visit The Adventures of Jim and Linda Parker page on the ASBP website.
Photo: Jim and Linda Parker stand with their van outside the Robertson Blood Center at Fort Hood, Texas on December 23, 2010.
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ASBP Donors Rock National Blood Donor Month!
The ASBP salutes the thousands of dedicated donors who give so that military men, women, retirees and their families have a fighting chance when ill or wounded. Because blood is perishable and can be needed at any time, it must be collected continuously. This makes regular donors key to ensuring that blood is available year-round.
Day-after-day, the loyal donors of the ASBP have proven their dedication. We extend our gratitude to these donors whose generous and selfless gifts allow the military blood program to save lives.
Read the entire press release on the ASBP website.
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ASBP Members to Attend Military Health System Conference
 From Jan. 24-27, 2010, ASBP members will be attending the 2011 Military Health System Conference at the National Harbor, Md. This year's conference, The Quadruple Aim: Working Together, Achieving Success, will share knowledge and breakthroughs in health care delivery, education and research, enhance partnerships in the federal sector and "concentrate on ways to best serve the preventative and health care needs" of active service members, veterans and their families.
This year, the ASBP was invited to submit two posters for the Military Health System's Healthcare Innovations Program (HIP)--one for fresher blood in theater and one for the strategic communications initiative. These achievements will be showcased in the poster gallery during the conference.
Registration is not open to the general public, but nearly 4,000 military and civilian personnel from the Military Health System are expected to attend the conference and accompanying exhibit hall which will feature agency and commercial products and programs aligned with the Military Health System mission and goals.
More information on the Military Health System can be found here. To learn more about the agenda, hotel and travel information, visit the conference website. | |
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