Issue No. 52
Oct. 23, 2012
From the Desk of:
Col. Richard H. McBride, Director, ASBPO

Welcome to our October Focal Point! Inside, we pay tribute to an Air Force master sergeant saving lives in Illinois, a daughter honoring her father's birthday tradition, and a Marine regiment that has sponsored 11 blood drives. We also include a great idea for your Halloween pumpkins that will help you treat our troops to life.

Our recent workshop at the AABB was attended by 200 international and American military and civilian blood banking professionals, including the Director General of the Ethiopian National Defense Force Health Main Directorate Brig. Gen. Tesfay Gidey, who is equivalent to our surgeon generals.

At the workshop, I outlined my vision and goals as the Armed Services Blood Program director. To learn more about future goals, visit our website here.

Best regards,
Col. Richard H. McBride 
ASBP Workshop Highlights Achievements, Future Challenges AABB
 

Leslie Botos, who flew on military command airlift flights in and out of Vietnam during the war, has attended the AABB Annual Meeting since 1985, and out of the close to 200 workshops, she never misses the one hosted by the Armed Services Blood Program.

The AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks) Annual Meeting and CTTXPO 2012 was held Oct. 6 to 9 at the Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston.  According to its website, the AABB's mission is to advance the practice and standards of transfusion medicine and cellular therapies to optimize patient and donor care and safety. 
 

 

Read the entire story on the ASBP website

 

Photo: Air Force Col. Richard H. McBride, the Armed Services Blood Program director, gives opening and closing remarks at the ASBP workshop Oct. 6 at the AABB (formerly American Association of Blood Banks) Annual Meeting, and Cellular Therapy and Transfusion Medicine Expo 2012 in Boston.  

Master Sgt. Awarded 2012 Most Innovative Blood Drive Coordinator  Gabel
  

Air Force Master Sgt. Rebeca Gabel was awarded the 2012 Most Innovative Blood Drive Coordinator Award from the Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers for her work organizing blood drives on Scott Air Force Base. Since June 2001, Gabel has organized 15 consecutive blood drives with the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, which resulted in nearly 500 units of blood being donated.

 

The Armed Services Blood Program applauds Gabel and her dedication to blood donations and saving lives. Her successful efforts to save lives is proof that we all--military and civilian collection agencies alike--work together for the greater good to ensure that blood and blood products are available when they are needed the most.  The article about Master Sgt. Gabel was originally published in Issue 37 of the ABC Newsletter. Read the entire article, located on page 12, here.  

  

Photo: Air Force Master Sgt. Rebeca Gabel accepts the Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers' Most Innovative Blood Drive Coordinator Award. 

No Uniform Required
The ASBP Focal Point civilian hero of the month Briggs 
 

Meet Lori Thayer Briggs. She is a young woman, who works for the Killeen Daily Herald, and she is married to a Fort Hood soldier, Army 1st Lt. Matthew Briggs, who is a faithful blood donor.  Lori is also a daughter of a man who left a legacy of giving. With Halloween right around the corner, many are gearing up for a night of costumes and fun. However, Lori is gearing up for her father's annual memorial blood drive held on Oct. 31--her father's birthday. For as long as she can remember, her father--Kenneth Thayer--was an exceptional and repeat blood donor. He gave more than 20 gallons during his life.

 

Read the entire story on the ASBP website

 

Image: A young Lori Thayer Briggs sits on top of her father, Kenneth Thayer, at the Lion's Club Carnival in Orange, Texas. This is a favorite photo of both Lori and her father.
Picture This!
The ASBP Focal Point picture of the month Pumpkins 

Getting ready to carve some pumpkins soon? Show us some love and carve one for the Armed Services Blood Program! Download one of our pumpkin carving stencils or come up with your own ASBP idea. When you are done, share your pictures with us via Facebook or Twitter (@militaryblood) by Oct. 31, and we'll put our favorite pumpkin right here in our next newsletter!  By simply carving a pumpkin, you'll help spread the word on the importance of blood donations to our ill or injured service members, veterans and their families worldwide. 

 

Happy Halloween and happy carving!
In This Issue
Director's Message
ASBP Workshop Highlights Achievements, Future Challenges
Master Sgt. Awarded 2012 Most Innovative Blood Drive Coordinator
No Uniform Required: Lori Thayer Briggs
Picture This: ASBP Pumpkin Carving Stencils
Checkin' in with the:
Naval Medical Center
Portsmouth, Va.
Marines

 

Located on Naval Support Activity, Northwest in Chesapeake, Va., is the Marine Corps Security Forces Regiment, where several hundred Marines receive their initial security forces training over the course of a year. Upon completion, Marines will either transfer to Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Teams, in which training continues and the Marines deploy to strategic international outposts ready to respond to a crisis or they are assigned as security personnel at key naval installations, foreign embassies and in Washington, D.C.

 

Their training is extremely demanding on both the staff and trainees, yet they have managed to find time to sponsor blood drives for the Armed Services Blood Program. Since 2009, the regiment has coordinated and sponsored 11 drives with nearly 700 volunteers and more than 500 donors. Recently, they were awarded a plaque commemorating this achievement.

 

"This mission is vitally important to the Marines that are serving downrange," said commanding officer of the regiment, Maj. Jerry Willingham, during the award ceremony. "This is the reason we have and will continue to support [the Armed Services Blood Program]."

 

Also during the ceremony, Capt. Michael Jevons, the regiment's newly assigned executive officer, explained that the donations are going to the Marines and this is ultimately what is important. 1st Sgt. Jeffrey Dunham concurred: "We have had friends or family that needed this support and some we have lost and some were saved. We know the importance of this mission."

 

Some of the Marine donors also expressed their reasons for volunteering to support the military blood program. Sgt. Enrique Enriquez simply stated, "I help out because it is the right thing to do."

 

"I do this because this is one way to help Marines both here at home and downrange," said Cpl. Matthew Shipp.

 

Read the entire story on the ASBP website.
Featured Video 
Played during the 2012 AABB Annual Meeting in Boston, this month's featured video contains a compilation of photos that demonstrate just how the Armed Services Blood Program has saved lives over the past 60 years!

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