Greetings everyone! We have a packed July Focal Point I am excited to share. First, my congratulations to now retired Air Force Col. Richard H. McBride. On June 30, we celebrated his career, his accomplishments, and his family. You can read more about his career and his tenure as the director of the Armed Services Blood Program in this issue. We wish him the best of luck in all of his future endeavors.

 

Also in this issue, you will find our recently released early demonstration video for the Theater Blood Mobile Research and Development project. This video details the new system and how it can help reduce communication capability gaps and track blood in theater.

 

In our Picture This! section, you'll read about two Armed Services Blood Program retirees who traveled to meet with PACOM Command Surgeon Rear Adm. Collin G. Chinn and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Frederick Matheu, PACOM joint blood program officer.

 

These stories and much more will keep you current with what's happening in and around the military blood program. I encourage you to visit our website and social media channels to learn more about how we provide blood and blood products both here at home and worldwide. I know that you are doing wonderful things out there. Let us know what you are doing. We want to share your stories with everyone! You are the ASBP!

 

A happy and healthy summer to all!

 

Respectfully,

Capt. Roland Fahie

 

 

How do you know your blood is going to the troops? This question and more are answered by the ASBP's 2014 summer campaign, Give To The Red White And Blue, designed to educate both military and civilian communities. Learn more. 

The AABB recently accepted the Army Blood Program's oral abstract, Technical, Logistical and Administrative Considerations in a Joint Manufacturing Process: Freeze Dried Plasma, for oral presentation at this year's AABB Annual Meeting. The meeting with be held Oct. 25-28 in Philadelphia, Pa.

Learn more about the 2014 AABB Annual Meeting.

We love when our supporters share their pictures with us on Facebook! Check out this awesome photo from Ms. Althea-Lorraine Odom who donated blood with us at Fort Huachuca, Texas.

  

Thanks Althea, keep the pictures coming!

 

CAMP H.M. SMITH, June 26, 2014 -- ASBP Lifetime Achievement Award recipients retired Army Col. Tony Polk (left), and retired Air Force Col. James Berger (second from right) visit U.S. Pacific Command Surgeon Rear Adm. Colin G. Chinn (second from left) and Lt. Cmdr. Frederick Matheu (right), PACOM joint blood program officer. Polk was the deputy joint blood program officer and the ASBP director for the Pacific during the Vietnam War. Berger established the Blood Transshipment Center and conducted the first joint American-British Blood Program exercise for the European Command. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jay M. Chu/Released). Learn more about Polk, Berger and the Lifetime Achievement Award. 

               

After two decades in its old location, the Kendrick Memorial Blood Center on Fort Gordon, Ga., has moved into a new facility ideally suited for its mission: collecting blood, plasma and platelets for service members worldwide. Read more.

The ASBP is proud to welcome Navy Capt. Roland L. Fahie (pronounced Foy) as the new director of the military blood program.

Learn more about Fahie's military career and accomplishments.

A recent commentary in Transfusion, discusses prevention of iron deficiency, especially in female donors. The article takes a look at the AABB's recommendations from Bulletin #12-03, Strategies to Monitor, Limit or Prevent Iron Deficiency in Blood Donors, which includes increasing the donation interval, measuring donor ferritin, and iron replacement.