Happy New Year from the staff and leadership of Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center!
January is National Blood Donor Month. I would like to thank all who have taken the time to donate blood in the past year, and I encourage everyone to consider making regular blood donations a New Year’s resolution during 2013. There is no greater gift one person can give to another than the gift of life.
Donations here go a long way to saving lives in combat theaters. During my tenure as the Commander of the 62nd Medical Brigade in Iraq, I witnessed first-hand the profound effect of blood donations in preserving the lives of America’s sons and daughters on countless occasions in the various emergency rooms of combat support hospitals located across Iraq, most notably the Baghdad ER . These donations helped stabilize service members with severe burns, injuries and illnesses, allowing us to transport them back to Landstuhl for further care. Blood donations are such a small and unselfish sacrifice, which allowed these services members to rejoin their loved one and often continue their service to the Nation.
One donation can save up to three lives depending on the blood type. People with all blood types are encouraged to donate whole blood every 56 days. People with an A-positive blood type are currently being encouraged to donate platelets because the need for that particular type is urgent. Platelet donors can donate as frequently as every two weeks, not to exceed 24 times a year.
CRDAMC currently has two top donors that I would like to take a moment to recognize. Cpt. Thomas Neesler, a physician in the CRDAMC Emergency Department was the top platelet donor for the medical center in the last fiscal year, and Staff Sgt. Patience Waycaster, who works in the CRDAMC Education Department, donated the most whole blood this past fiscal year. Well done Cpt. Neesler and Staff Sgt. Waycaster! Your donations epitomize the Army value of selfless service and the CRDAMC value of excellence. I commend you both. Keep up the good work!
Again, I encourage all of you to look inside yourselves and commit to making regular blood donations throughout the coming year at CRDAMC’s Robertson Donor Center located in Bldg 2250 on 761st Tank Battalion Ave. next to the Thomas Moore Health Clinic. The life you save may be a loved one’s or even your own. To donate, individuals are encouraged to walk in Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with the exception of Thursdays, when Robertson opens at noon.


