Armed Services Blood Program Newsletter
July 5, 2011 

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From the Desk of:   

COL Francisco Rentas, Director, ASBPO

This time each year, we congratulate the new graduates of the Specialist in Blood Banking Fellowship Program.  Four students representing the Army, Navy and Air Force join an elite group of fellowship alumni.  As the last class to graduate from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, their graduation marked the end of one journey, and the beginning of another. I look forward to seeing how these great students will shape the Armed Services Blood Program in the future. 

 

This is also the time when we as a country celebrate our independence by indulging in cookouts, well-deserved vacations and fireworks. While we remember a great part of our nation's history, let us not forget those serving worldwide who continue to shape our nation today.

 

Patriotism can take many forms. By donating blood, volunteering, or coordinating a blood drive this summer, you can join us in saving the lives of service members worldwide that continually fight for the freedoms we celebrate each summer. 

 

Warm regards,

COL Francisco Rentas  
Happy Fourth of July!

Fish your best red, white and blue outfit from the closet, spend the afternoon at a block party waiting for the sun to set, light up the sparklers and set off the fireworks in the street.  Sound familiar? It's July 4th, and what a better way to celebrate Independence Day than with family, friends and fireworks?!

This year, the Armed Services Blood Program encourages you to add to your summer fun by scheduling an appointment online to give blood. Donating with the Armed Services Blood Program is a great way to remember loved ones who sacrifice for the freedoms we celebrate each year.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!  

Mobile Blood Drives Rock at the Armed Services Blood Bank Center, National Capital Area

     

This month, the Defense Media Activites produced a video documenting how donors and staff members at the Armed Services Blood Bank Center, National Capital Area, National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., support the Armed Services Blood Program and military service members worldwide by donating blood and platelets.

 

The video was originally posted to the  Navy's All Hands TV channel, however, you can also check out the video on our YouTube or Facebook site.    

 

Photo: Aiesata Gadson, phlebotomist with the Armed Services Blood Program, talks about her role at the Armed Services Blood Bank Center, National Capital Area, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md.  

No Uniform Required 

The ASBP Focal Point civilian hero of the month!   

    

Pints for PatriotsPatriotism is more than feeling pride or love for one's nation--it involves action--and Meghann Shell is a prime example of a true action-oriented patriot.  When Shell rallied communities across Charlotte, N.C., to give blood to the Armed Services Blood Program, it marked the beginning of an awesome partnership between Shell, the Fort Gordon Blood Donor Center collection team, and the Army and Air Force ROTCs at the University of North Carolina Charlotte.

 

Earlier this year, Shell contacted the Fort Gordon Blood Donor Center in Georgia, and pitched her idea for what would later be named the "Pints for Patriots" blood drive. She then contacted ROTC leadership at the university who were honored to host the event, and she hasn't stopped moving since!

 

Read the entire article on the ASBP website.  

Photo: Staff Sgt. Eric Longacre (left), mobile collections non-commissioned officer-in-charge for Fort Gordon's blood collection team, gives blood drive coordinator Meghann Shell (right) a hug after the first "Pints for Patriots" drive at the University of North Carolina Charlotte ROTC.

Picture This!

The ASBP Focal Point picture of the month

2011 Fellowship GraduationOn June 21, 2011, the Armed Services Blood Program congratulated four graduates of the Specialist in Blood Banking Fellowship Program.  The graduates, Navy Lt. Edgardo Guzman, Air Force Maj. Mary Burke, Navy Lt. Colleen Knaus, and Army Maj. Gerald Kellar, were the last members of the Fellowship Program to graduate from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.  After the ceremony, the graduates, fellowship alumni and guests received commemoration lapel pins designed by the Armed Services Blood Program. 

 

Founded in 1958, the Specialist in Blood Banking Fellowship is a tri-service program training military personnel to effectively apply universal blood banking skills in a variety of settings. Over the course of year, the students attend lectures, perform research and participate in valuable clinical rotations at either the Walter Reed Army Medical Center or the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda.   

 

In 1965, the program was transferred to Fort Knox, Ky., and then again in 1976 to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  2011 will mark the end of an era at Walter Reed when the program moves again--this time to the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda.

 

Guzman, Burke, Knaus and Kellar join an elite class of fellowship graduates, including Armed Services Blood Program Director Col. Francisco Rentas.

 

"[Walter Reed] used to be my home, and I still consider it my home," said Rentas. "These students are not only graduating from an institution filled with history, but from a place filled with hope."    

 

Congratulations Class of 2011!  

 

Photo: (From left to right) Maj. Mary Burke, Lt. Edgardo Guzman, Maj. Gerald Kellar and Lt. Colleen Knaus.   

A Donor at War and at Home   

   

During her 10 months in Iraq, Sgt. Francine Krohn stuck her arm out for her buddies time and time again-she was a regular apheresis donor with the blood detachment at Balad Air Base, in Iraq.

 

"There was a mass casualty and they announced over the Balad intercom that they needed blood for wounded soldiers and civilians," said Krohn. "So I just went down there to see if they needed my blood type and if I even qualified. Thankfully, I was able to.  After that, I was donating anywhere from once to twice a week and my platelet count was high enough that I was able to donate double."

 

Read the entire article on the ASBP website.

 

Photo:  Sgt. Francine Krohn was a dedicated platelet donor while stationed in Iraq. Although deferred for a year since leaving Iraq, she is eagerly looking forward to being able to donate with the Robertson Blood Center at Fort Hood, Texas, again.  The apheresis machine she is standing next to is similar to the machine she donated with in Iraq.

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