FORT HOOD, Texas (ASBP, May 6, 2011) " Cynethia Nichols can predict more than the weather"she can forecast success. So when her husband 1st Sgt. Antonio Nichols and his unit, the 31st Chemical Company at Fort Hood, Texas, were presented an award for conducting a blood drive, she knew her larger unit could do the same thing!
After learning of her husband’s success, Nichols knew that her unit, the 3rd Weather Squadron on West Fort Hood, should be in the running for the same type of recognition. With the support of the squadron’s chain of command, she contacted Fort Hood’s Robertson Blood Center and arranged for a blood drive.
“This blood drive was a personal debt with my husband,” said Cynethia Nichols. “He won an award for donating blood with his small unit so I said ‘Hey! We have a tall unit here"we can do this.’”
She worked around a busy schedule and got her commander, Lt. Col. Robert Coxwell, involved. Together, Coxwell and Cynethia Nichols assigned a project officer, who then helped her book donor appointments using the online scheduling system, giving donors a feeling of control over the process while making the blood drive run smoother for the staff.
“[The 3rd Weather Squadron] is involved,” Cynethia Nichols said. “Some people volunteered to bake goods. Our people are stretched, but we are making the blood drive a success. We are at two schools today [putting on educational demonstrations] and doing the blood drive.”
Her work to publicize the drive paid off when Cobra troopers from the 1st Cavalry Division’s 1-8 Cavalry began showing up and filling open appointment times. She had predicted a successful drive, but the added numbers nearly doubled expectations, causing some donors to be rerouted to the blood donor center on main Fort Hood.
For soldiers like Pvt. Ian Diaz, his first sergeant’s invitation to take a break from pre-deployment briefings and send a unit of cells downrange was welcomed.
“I always give blood,” Diaz said.
Joining Diaz at the blood drive was Air Force Tech Sgt. Brandon Huth. A military blood donor since his first time as a recruit at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, Huth joked: “Why not? Free juice!”
Although in a joking mood during his donation, the importance of donating blood to the Armed Services Blood Program does not escape Huth. “The important part is to save a life,” he said.
The 3rd Weather Squadron is part of the largest contingent of Air Force personnel not assigned to an Air Force base and provides support to deployed Army units by predicting the weather. But, as Cynethia Nichols and the unit proved, they can predict a lot more than just the weather! They predicted a successful blood drive and delivered.
To find out more about the Armed Services Blood Program or to make an appointment, please visit us online: www.militaryblood.dod.mil. To interact directly with some of our staff or to get the latest news, visit us here: www.facebook.com/militaryblood
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