| Armed Services Blood Program Newsletter |
March 13, 2011 | |
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From the Desk of:
COL Francisco Rentas, Director, ASBPO
 In this month's newsletter, we introduce you to our new, and not so new, personnel and give our suggestion on the best way to spend your St. Patrick's Day. As always, we share a great selection of stories from military blood donor centers worldwide.
The winter months are finally coming to an end, and with the warm spring weather right around the corner, now is a great time to spring into action and donate blood!
Warm regards,
COL Francisco Rentas
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ASBPO Welcomes Aboard New Personnel
 Please join us in welcoming aboard our new marketing specialist, Ms. Christine June. A retired Navy chief, June practiced journalism and public affairs for 20 years while on active duty. For the past 10 years, she has been involved in military marketing at the battalion recruiting level for the Army.
We would also like to welcome Lt. Cmdr. Aaron J. Harding, the new deputy director for policy at the Armed Services Blood Program Office. Prior to joining ASBPO, Lt. Cmdr. Harding served as the director of the U.S. Central Command Joint Theater Blood Program, and the assistant lab department head of the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, Calif. He is a certified Specialist in Blood Banking and the current president elect of the Society of Armed Forces Medical Laboratory Scientists.
We are excited to welcome both Ms. June and Lt. Cmdr. Harding to our team, and we are eager to incorporate the immense talent they bring to the Armed Services Blood Program.
Photo: Ms. Christine June (left) and LCDR Aaron J. Harding (right).
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No Uniform Required
The ASBP Focal Point civilian hero of the month
 Since August 2010, Whitney Cordero has served as the volunteer coordinator for the Armed Services Blood Program at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. The military blood program holds mobile blood drives at Fort Huachuca monthly and Cordero is responsible for the volunteers assisting the donors at the blood drives. Although Cordero is a faithful volunteer coordinator, Cordero's passion for blood drives stems from a personal experience.
In 1996, Cordero underwent a routine medical procedure that turned into an emergency situation requiring her to be admitted to the intensive care unit where she received a blood transfusion.
"Because I was a recipient of a blood transfusion, I understand the importance of blood," said Cordero. "Without it, I would have died. I literally was bleeding out."
Read the entire story on the ASBP website.
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Photo: Elisa Lombardo (right), medical technician from the Fort Bliss Blood Donor Center, carefully inserts the blood donation needle into Whitney Cordero's (left) arm. Cordero received a blood transfusion in 1996 and is forever grateful for blood donors and is now giving back, saving the lives of others.
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Picture This!
The ASBP Focal Point picture of the month
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 Did you know that a single donation of whole blood to the Armed Services Blood Program can save up to three lives? In less than an hour of your time, you can save three ill or injured service members, veterans or their family members.
So this St. Patrick's Day, what could be more valuable than a pot of gold? Your donations, of course!
Schedule your appointment online today, by visiting the ASBP website.
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ASBBC Supports Multinational Training Exercise in Thailand
The U.S. Pacific Command Armed Services Blood Bank Center in Okinawa, Japan, started off 2012 by providing mission-critical blood support to Operation Cobra Gold in Thailand. Cobra Gold, an annual multinational combined joint training exercise held throughout Thailand, is the largest multilateral exercise for the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. This year, many countries participated, including militaries from Thailand, the United States, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the Republic of Korea.
In late January 2012, Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan Hoiles, director of the ASBBC, and 50 units of blood left Okinawa and made their way to Thailand to support the operation. Hoiles filled the role of Joint Blood Program coordinator for the mission and served as military blood liaison with eight host nation hospitals.
Read the entire story on the ASBP website.
Photo: Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan Hoiles, director of the U.S. Pacific Command Armed Services Blood Bank Center in Okinawa, Japan, delivers blood from the ASBBC to the Queen Sirikit Hospital in Thailand.
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Milestone Donation is a Sweet Occasion
This Valentine's Day the students and faculty of Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Ga., showed their love by giving troops and their families a gift far more special than roses and heart-shaped chocolates. The community, which has long supported Armed Services Blood Program blood drives, was anticipating the day for another reason. The college's 2,000th blood donation to the military blood program was looming, and it was almost certain to happen sometime during the Valentine's Day blood drive!
Back in July 2011, Brenda Brown, community service coordinator at the school, was featured in an Armed Services Blood Program article for making blood donation an important tradition with the cadets, students and faculty members of the Georgia Military College (see the article here). She had long had a goal in mind--reaching the milestone of 2,000 blood donations.
Read the entire story on the ASBP website.
Photo: During a Valentine's Day blood drive, Cadet Linda Smith (left) had the honors of making the 2,000th donation for the Georgia Military College. Here, she is pictured accepting a jar full of red and pink chocolate candies and an Armed Services Blood Program coin from Sgt. 1st Class Richard Van Kluyve (right), officer-in-charge of the Kendrick Memorial Blood Center, Fort Gordon, Ga.
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