From the Desk Of:
Col. Richard H. McBride, Director, ASBPO
 January is National Blood Donor Month and this year we would like to thank you for joining the arms race. In this issue of Focal Point, we feature a wide variety of videos, stories and images that drive home just how great our supporters really are. You'll see a video from the Pentagon Channel that includes my call for everyone to support our sacred mission. We are also pleased to award retired Air Force Col. Suellyn Novak and retired Navy Capt. Bruce Rutherford with our 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award. Both Novak and Rutherford have led distinguished military careers that made them perfect candidates for this honor. In our No Uniform Required section, you'll meet a donor who found a creative way to encourage blood donations. In our Picture This! section, we share an image from Air Force Gen. William M. Frazer III's visit to the Expeditionary Blood Transshipment Center over the holidays. Finally, we remember retired Army Lt. Col. Virgil R. Coley, one of the ASBP's founding officers who passed away last month. He will be greatly missed. Thanks,
Col. Richard H. McBride |
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Military Encouraging Blood Donations
Twelve years of war has taken a toll on the military's blood supplies. Air Force Col. Richard H. McBride, director of the Armed Services Blood Program encourages blood donations during National Blood Donor Month. |
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ASBP Thanks Donors, Supporters, Volunteers
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No Uniform Required
The ASBP Focal Point civilian hero of the month
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Picture This!
The ASBP Focal Point picture of the month
Air Force Gen. William M. Fraser III visited the Expeditionary Blood Transshipment Center Nov. 29 to share the Thanksgiving holiday with deployed troops in southwestern Asia. During his visit, he was briefed by the entire EBTC team on the operations and mission of the center. Fraser was impressed by the briefings and even signed the EBTC's "Wall of Fame." Fraser is the commander of the U.S. Transportation Command, a command that has a central role in the movement of blood products into and throughout the Area of Responsibility.
In this photo, Maj. Dennis Wooten (left) gives Gen. William M. Fraser III (right) a mission brief while other members of the Expeditionary Blood Transshipment Center team look on. The team members consist of (left to right) Staff Sgt. Aaron Gerasch (Eglin AFB), Staff Sgt. Jessica Contreras (Lackland AFB), and Senior Airmen Leonard Tesoro and Travis Exner (Eglin AFB). (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Bahja J. Jones)
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Checkin' in with the:
Armed Services Blood Program Office, Falls Church, Va.
At the end of each year, we pour through our archives trying to find the stories that best represent a year's worth of accomplishments for the military blood program. And each year, it seems to get harder (which is a good thing). 2013 was an astounding year for the ASBP, so finding a mere 13 stories that emphasized just how great the year truly was, was no easy challenge. Yet somehow, we decided. Find out which stories made our Top 13 of '13 list. |
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Remembering Retired Lt. Col. Virgil R. Coley
Last month, we received the sad news of the passing of one of the ASBP's early founding officers, retired Lt. Col. Virgil R. Coley.
After being drafted into the Navy at age 19, he served onboard the USS Helena during the Korean conflict. After being discharged from the Navy, he gradated from Jones County Junior College and the University of Southern Mississippi before joining the Army in 1964. He would go on to serve as an officer in the laboratory at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and in Heidelberg, Germany. In 1969, he began his specialization in blood banking at Fort Knox, Ky.
"Virgil loved his work and was proud of his military service," said retired Army Col. Stephen Beardsley, the chaplain for the Armed Services Blood Program Retiree Association. "Those that worked with and under him over the years loved and admired him. He leaves a loving and lasting legacy."
Personal condolences may be sent to the Coley family, here.
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Featured Video
 To all of our donors, volunteers and supporters: Thank you for joining the "arms race."
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Industry News
Hospitals Look to Limit Transfusions
According to recent medical studies, patients receiving too many blood products are more likely to experience medical complications. Read more. |
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Pins and Pints
The ASBP Focal Point pin of the month
Work hard. Sleep hard. We love our military and their hard-working dogs.
See more adorable animals on the ASBP Pinterest page.
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About the ASBP
The ASBP plays a key role in providing quality blood products for service members, veterans and their families in both peace and war. As a tri-service organization, the ASBP has many components working together to collect, process and store, distribute and transfuse blood worldwide. Learn more on the ASBP website.
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