Thursday, September 21, 2017 • APG News A3

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The Armed Services Blood Bank Center-National Capital Region at theWalter ReedNational Military Medical Center in Be-thesda,Maryland, conducts quarterly blooddrives at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Mary-land. During every drive, John OltarzewskiandLisaChasecanbecountedontosupportthe Armed Services Blood Program, orASBP.

Oltarzewski, a government contractorwith CECOM SEC, started supporting theASBPatAPGafterhiscommandwasmovedto the installation from Fort Monmouth,

New Jersey. He donates blood to honor hisfather, a World War II veteran who waswounded at Normandy Beach, ultimatelyearning him thePurpleHeartMedal.

“This is so easy to do,” Oltarzewski said.“People don’t realize how easy it is tosupport the troops.”

Chase, a CECOM LRC civilian, hasserved as an Army employee for 36 years.ShebegandonatingatAPGfiveyearsago.Asa type O-negative blood donor, sh,e knowsthe importance of her donations.

Also known as “universal donors,” TypeO-negative red blood cells can be given toanyone. For that reason, O-negative blood isoften used in emergency situations before a

person’s exact blood type can be deter-mined.

“An hour of my time at work will savethree lives,” Chase said. “I just love to helpthe troops.”

About the Armed Services BloodProgram

Since 1962, the Armed Services BloodProgram has served as the sole provider ofblood for the U.S. military. As a tri-serviceorganization, the ASBP collects, processes,stores and distributes blood and bloodproducts to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Mar-ines and their familiesworldwide. As one offour national blood collection organizationstrusted to ensure the nation has a safe,

potentbloodsupply, theASBPworkscloselywith its civilian counterparts by sharingdonors onmilitary installationswhere thereare nomilitary blood collection centers andby sharing blood products in times of needto maximize availability of this nationaltreasure. To find out more about the ASBPor to schedule an appointment to donate,visit www.militaryblood.dod.mil. To speakwith ASBP staff members, view morephotos or for more information, follow@militaryblood on Facebook, Twitter,Flickr, YouTube and Pinterest. The ArmedServicesBloodProgram is a proud recipientof the ArmyMaj. Gen. Keith L.Ware PublicAffairs award for journalism.

John OltarzewskiPHOTO COURTESY OF ARMED SERVICES BLOOD PROGRAM

Lisa ChasePHOTO COURTESY OF ARMED SERVICES BLOOD PROGRAM

Loyal donors support APG blood drivesBy Shawntel TrowellArmed Services Blood Program