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From the Desk of:
Col. Richard H. McBride, Director, ASBPO
 The holiday season is in full-swing and this year, we have much to give thanks for! On Dec. 10, the Armed Services Blood Program turns 60. To celebrate, we launched our annual holiday campaign yesterday. Visit your local blood donor center to see how we are commemorating our 60 years of holiday donations. Thank you to all our donors, volunteers and supporters for providing lifesaving blood to ill or injured service members, veterans and their families worldwide for six decades.
We are also thankful for the brave men and women who have so courageously served in the U.S. Armed Forces, and we hope you join us this Veterans Day--and all month long--to honor our veterans.
We welcome Army Maj. Jason Corley to the Armed Services Blood Program Office team. He is serving as our new deputy director of operations, and we are excited to have him on board.
Wishing everyone a joyous Thanksgiving.
Best regards,
Col. Richard H. McBride
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ASBP Celebrates 60 Years of Holiday Donations
 Falls Church, Va., Nov. 2, 2012 -- The holiday season is always a special time of year; but this year is particularly special as the Armed Services Blood Program celebrates 60 years of holiday donations.
"We are pleased to be celebrating our 60th anniversary in conjunction with the holiday season," said Air Force Col. Richard H. McBride, director of the Armed Services Blood Program. "While this is definitely an exciting time of year for us, we want to remind everyone that we still need your donations to continue providing the priceless gift of blood and blood products to those in need."
Read the entire press release on the ASBP website.
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Saluting All Who Served
 In September, we featured an article on our website about a group of Army Corps Engineers at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, who conducted a blood drive to honor their friend and fellow employee, Francis Tonkai. Each November, the country celebrates and honors all the brave men and women who have served so valiantly in the U.S. Armed Forces. In honor of Veterans Day, we would like to once again share Mr. Tonkai's story, and say thank you to all the men and women who have served, and continue to serve, this nation.
In honor of a great friend and fellow employee, Francis Tonaki, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, conducted their second annual Armed Services Blood Program blood drive.
Francis Tonaki began his career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1983 and is also a veteran of the Hawaii Army National Guard. His list of noteworthy accomplishments is long; but the great memories he made while in the military and as a civilian is even longer. Sadly, Tonaki lost his battle with leukemia in 2011.
Read the entire article on the ASBP website.
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ASBP Welcomes Army Maj. Jason Corley
 Army Maj. Jason Corley came to the Armed Services Blood Program Office as the deputy director of operations in August. He comes from a two-year assignment as the chief of Transfusion Medicine Service at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. He is a 15-year Army veteran, who has been involved in military blood banking since graduating from the Specialist in Blood Banking Fellowship in 2005.
"I would like to thank the military blood banking community for all of the hard work performed each day to get quality blood products to patients around the world," said Corley.
Image: Army Maj. Jason Corley, the Armed Services Blood Program's deputy director of operations, gives blood
Oct. 23 at the Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church, Va.
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No Uniform Required
The ASBP Focal Point civilian hero of the month
 The Armed Services Blood Bank Center-Pacific Northwest is very fortunate to have not only dedicated whole blood donors but also dedicated platelet and plasma donors. When one of those donors makes their 100th donation, it is time for a party.
That's just what happened on Oct. 25, after Dennis Vernon completed his 100th donation to the Armed Services Blood Program. Vernon had been working towards the century mark since his first donation with the ASBBC-PNW on Jan. 22, 2004. The party included a cake, a candy jar with exactly 100 pieces of candy, 160 balloons to represent the 160 platelet products that his donations have produced, and a back pack with the ASBBC-PNW logo.
Read the entire article on the ASBP website.
Image: Maj. Christopher Evans, director of the Armed Services Blood Bank Center-Pacific Northwest, presents a certificate of appreciation to Dennis Vernon.
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Picture This!
The ASBP Focal Point picture of the month  Thank you to everyone who submitted a pumpkin carving for our contest. We had some great submissions, but the winner comes from Sarah in Virginia who wrote: "With a busy night ahead, this jack-o-lantern started his day off right by giving back to other pumpkins in need." We love it!
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Checkin' in with the:
Wright-Patterson Blood Donor Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
Each fall, the Wright-Patterson Blood Donor Center enjoys the privilege of holding Armed Services Blood Program blood drives sponsored by the ROTC from a few of the local universities. First up was Wright State University's Army ROTC Raider Battalion.
"It is something we look forward to," said Cadet Katelyn McMillion, who was chosen this year to be the coordinator for the drives as a test of leadership. "I have donated to the military at every opportunity since I have gone to school here, but I am especially excited about my expanded role this year. The team is always friendly and professional and my experience with them has been great."
McMillion's great leadership and drive in the coordination of her first blood drive brought in more than 100 potential donors. Wright State University alumnus and ROTC graduate, Lt. Daniel Harris, was one of many donors reached by McMillion's advertising and the free t-shirt offered by the ROTC program.
"I am a lieutenant now with the 342nd Military Police Company Detachment 1 in Troy, Ohio," said Harris. "I graduated from Wright State in 2011 and actually never donated while I was here, but my first donation was with the Armed Services Blood Program when I was in training at Fort Leonard Wood."
When asked why he hadn't donated while attending Wright State University, Harris admitted he always found the idea of donating blood a little too scary while he was a student. But the camaraderie he shared with his Army family and the closeness of the dangers of serving in the active military helped him realize the importance and need for him to get past his fears.
"After the first time it was easy to say yes a second," said Harris. "So when I received the Facebook event invite from my old schoolmate it was an easy decision to make room in my schedule to come down here. I had no doubt that it was the right thing to do."
Read the entire article on the ASBP website.
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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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