ANSBACH, Germany (March 12, 2015) -- The 412th Aviation Support Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, sponsored a blood drive at the Katterbach Fitness Center Tuesday.
Members of the Armed Services Blood Bank Center Europe, Armed Services Blood Program, collected blood from Soldiers, Family members and civilians of the U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach community.
The goal of the drive was to collect 160 pints of blood. The drive collected 174, according to the 412th ASB.
Several of those donating, including 2nd Lt. Megan Rudolph, A Company, 412th ASB, went to the donation "to save lives."
"If I was in a state where I needed blood, then I would hope somebody would donate so they could save my life," said Rudolph. "So I'm doing that in return."
First Lt. Philip Marosi and spouse Megan attended the event to donate together. Megan said they were there to "to save lives, give blood, and support the battalion."
"We want to support the community and support the Soldiers that are deployed right now and make sure that they have all the help they can get," said Marosi. "We're able to come together as a community and also support one cause. So taking time out of our day is a small sacrifice for the cause we're supporting -- giving blood."
Spc. Dustin Branch, a Soldier with 412th ASB, was also at the event to donate blood.
"People get injured, and it's the only thing that can save them," said Branch. "My cousin got blown up two years ago, and it's what saved him. It's a big deal for me."
Because of the risk of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (commonly known as mad cow disease), potential donors are ruled out because of where they have lived, which, in Europe, severely limits the donor pool.
"A lot of people can't donate because they've been in Europe too long," said David Boyd, a medical technician with the ASBP. "There's a rule. The FDA and the CDC, they consider all of Europe, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Oman and Saudi Arabia mad cow risk areas from 1980 to currently. So a lot of people, once they get five years or more in Europe, they can't donate.
"The military blood supply is for the military community," continued Boyd. "The blood that we collect, it stays here in Europe or we send it to Africa. It supports all the guys coming out of Afghanistan or Africa too."
Lt. Col. David Almquist, 412th ASB commander, was there to support his Soldiers as they donated. Also on hand at the event were members of the 412th ASB's family readiness group, who served homemade baked goods, cookies and drinks so donors could regain their strength.
To learn more about the Armed Services Blood Program, how to donate, and more, visit "Armed Services Blood Program" in the "Related Links" section above.
Related Links:
USAG Ansbach official blog site
USAG Ansbach official home page
Franconian News: USAG Ansbach official news site
USAG Ansbach official Flickr page
USAG Ansbach official Twitter feed
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