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From the Desk of:
Col. Richard H. McBride, Director, ASBPO
 Happy new year! January is National Blood Donor Month, and in this issue of Focal Point, we pay tribute to the dedicated donors of the military blood program. Our donors are the heart and soul of the Armed Services Blood Program. Without our donors, the military blood program would not exist. Last year was a great one for the Armed Services Blood Program, and I am confident that 2013 will be amazing. Thank you to all our donors, volunteers, supporters and staff for all you do for our service members and their families every year. I wish you and your families the greatest success and joy in 2013. Best regards,
Col. Richard H. McBride
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Armed Services Blood Program Thanks 60 Years of Donors
 Falls Church, Va., Jan. 2, 2013 - January is National Blood Donor Month, and this year the Armed Services Blood Program would like to thank those who have saved lives by donating blood and blood products over the last 60 years. Since the military blood program's inception, our donors have been the heart and soul of our program.
Read the entire press release on the ASBP website.
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One Leader's Powerful Commitment to Saving Lives
 Command Master Chief Leon R. Walker Jr. is committed to leading sailors each day of the week. One look around his office at the Naval Service Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., and his dedication to the U.S. Navy and to training great sailors is readily apparent. What isn't so readily apparent, however, is his commitment to saving lives through blood donations.
Read the entire article on the ASBP website.
Image: Navy Command Master Chief Leon R. Walker Jr. of the Naval Service Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., leads by example this holiday season.
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Honoring Lives by Saving Lives
 According to the website of the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard, the group's mission is to "represent airmen to the American public and the world." The website also lists a vision statement outlining the Honor Guard's purpose of promoting the mission, protecting the standards, and perfecting the image and heritage of airmen worldwide. These core tenants were the reason why several members of the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Honor Guard decided to donate blood to the Armed Services Blood Program this holiday season.
Read the entire article on the ASBP website.
Image: Members of the 88 Air Base Wing Honor Guard at Wright Patterson Air Force Base wait in line for their chance to donate to the Armed Services Blood Program this holiday season.
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2012 Specialist in Blood Banking Fellows Pleased with First, Last
 The 2012 Specialist in Blood Banking Fellowship Program graduates "are a very special group - the first and last," said William Turcan, the program's director.
This special group - Navy Lt. Joel Valdez, Army Capt. Ronnie Hill, Navy Lt. Stephanie Golla and Air Force Capt. Nicole Ferguson - are the first to finish the yearlong classroom and clinical instruction at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and the last to have begun the program at the now closed Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Read the entire article on the ASBP website.
Image: William Turcan, the Specialist in Blood Banking Fellowship Program director, stands proudly with the graduates of 2012 after the graduation ceremony held June 26 at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Pictured (left to right): Navy Lt. Joel Valdez, Army Capt. Ronnie Hill, Turcan, Navy Lt. Stephanie Golla and Air Force Capt. Nicole Ferguson.
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No Uniform Required
The ASBP Focal Point civilian hero of the month
 Jill Shanteau from the Department of the Army Headquarters at the Pentagon has been donating whole blood to the Armed Services Blood Program since 2011. When she recently looked at the status board showing which types of blood were currently needed for whole blood donations at the Pentagon Blood Donor Center, she thought that the program didn't want her blood. When she asked why, staff members at the donor center explained that her blood type was better suited for platelet donations. Shanteau then scheduled her next appointment for platelets.
Read the entire article on the ASBP website.
Image: Jill Shanteau warms up for her first platelet donation to the Armed Services Blood Program.
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Picture This!
The ASBP Focal Point picture of the month
 The Surgeon General and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho presents Don Dahlheimer with the Commander's Award for Civilian Service Dec. 13 during an awards ceremony held at the Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church,Va. Dahlheimer, who is the Armed Services Blood Program deputy director for information management, received the award for his dedication in ensuring the safety of the blood supply for Department of Defense personnel from Sept. 2008 to Aug. 2012.
 The Surgeon General and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho presents Ginger C. Rogers-Bass with a Certificate of Appreciation Dec. 13 during an awards ceremony held at the Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church,Va. Rogers-Bass received the award for her duties as a directorate movement coordinator in support of the Office of the Surgeon General's relocation to the DHHQ facility from Jan.4 to July 29.
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Checkin' in with the:
Robertson Blood Center, Fort Hood, Texas
Sgt. Scott David has been stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, for four years and is currently about to serve his third tour in Afghanistan as a part of Alpha Company 2-7 Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. On the day of his departure, Sgt. David and his father, John, came into the Robertson Blood Center to partake in a tradition that stems back to two prior deployments. Each time his son has deployed, John David travels down from Dallas, Texas, to donate blood to the Armed Services Blood Program. This farewell was no different-Sgt. David stood next to his father who had his sleeve rolled up ready to save lives.
John David remembered his son's first deployment and how he stumbled upon the Robertson Blood Center while driving on Fort Hood. As he drove by the blood donor center, he thought to himself that donating blood to a military blood donor center would be a good idea. The first time he donated with the staff at the Robertson Blood Center, he was amazed that donated blood would reach deployed service members in just one week and that in all of his dedicated years of donating he had never heard of the Armed Services Blood Program. However, once he discovered the military blood program, it became a tradition that he follows every time his son is asked to serve his country in combat operations.
"The reason I donate blood is right there," said John David, pointing at his son. "It is all about helping, right?"
With his departure taking place in just a few hours, Sgt. David could not donate blood, but came to spend time with and support his father during his donation. The first time Sgt. David, a mortar man, deployed, he thought his father's blood donation timing was "cheesy," but now he thinks it is pretty cool. With both son and father being A-positive, John David's donation is a just-in-case care package in the event his son should ever need it.
Sgt. David knows the importance of blood donations with multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he will have to wait one year after his arrival back to the U.S. to be eligible to donate blood to the military blood program. Sgt. David will start his quarterly blood donations at that time to do his part for his brothers and sisters in harm's way.
Sgt. David waited patiently for his father's donation to complete, and then they both headed to the refreshment area to enjoy a small snack. As they walked off, side-by-side, Robertson Blood Center staff members overheard them make their lunch plans before they had to say "goodbye for now" and "see you soon."
Read the entire article on the ASBP website.
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The Armed Services Blood Program celebrates more than 60 years of dedicated donors during National Blood Donor Month.
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