Military medicine, and in particular, blood banking, has played a vital role in the history of the United States Armed Forces. This storied history is rich with the progress of blood banking and upholds the proud tradition of military medicine delivering cutting edge research from the battlefield to civilian trauma medicine.

This history, as all histories must be, is filled with the towering intellect and scientific determination of the people who would save the lives of their fellow warriors. To honor African American History Month, we looked back on the role played by several African-American military blood bank officers, and leaders: Air Force Col. Richard H. McBride, Navy Cmdr. Roland Fahie, retired Army Col. Tony Polk and retired Lt. Col. Wilbur Malloy.  An integral part of the fabric of this nation's military history; these are their stories.

Recently, the National Geographic Channel began airing a six-part series called Inside Combat Rescue, which according to the show's website highlights "the elite combat rescue members of the U.S. Air Force, pararescuemen, or PJs," that "have one mission: rescue American or Allied Forces in extreme danger."

For the first time, a group of PJs are allowing camera crews to film their missions in Afghanistan, so viewers of the television series will get to meet the elite airmen who are saving lives of injured service members straight from their perspective, according to the show's website. Throughout the series, the PJs perform blood transfusions during the golden hour - the critical window of time to complete a rescue and offer the injured the best chance of survival.

"This is a fantastic program filmed in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, and yes, medical evacuation blood support is part of it," said Air Force Col. Richard H. McBride, director of the Armed Services Blood Program.

McBride said donating blood to the Armed Services Blood Program ensures that the PJs and other services forward rescue operations are able to complete these vital transfusions on the battlefield.

"This program showed PJs administering a unit of blood on a helicopter," said Don Dahlheimer, Armed Services Blood Program's Information Management deputy director, who saw an episode of this series. "This is directly related to work of the Armed Services Blood Program team and most importantly, the 'bleeding edge' team in theater."

"Thank you to all the heroes participating in and supporting the mission of the PJs," added McBride, "so that others may live."

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Retired Army Capt. Paul J. Schmidt and Air Force Maj. Christine Murphy participated in the "Blood and War" program on Feb. 18 in Tampa, Fla. The program was part of a series on the History of Medicine and Blood Transfusion in Tampa. A week earlier, the program had featured the 1941 organization of the Southwest Florida Blood Bank when communities throughout the nation were responding to a request of the Office of Civilian Defense in a nation preparing for war. Tampa was one of the first to action, in addition to a blood research unit which had already been formed in 1940 at the Army Medical School at the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. At the time, Army Capt. Douglas B. Kendrick was in charge.