Story Archive

The Dynamic Donating Duo (April 2012)
In Great Lakes, Ill., superheroes do exist—and this donating pair can prove it. Penny Glenn and Kristine Chynoweth travel to and fro over the Great Lakes area saving lives whenever and wherever they are needed. In fact, this dynamic donating duo has a combined 31 whole blood donations under their belt already.

"Liking" Blood Challenges in Ill. (April 2012)
Recently a soldier from the 801st Alpha Company, Combat Support Hospital at Fort Sheridan, Ill., stepped up to take on a new task. Undaunted by the challenges that lie ahead, Sgt. Daniel Pettibone had the idea that many more prospective blood donors could be reached by announcing the upcoming ASBP Drive in the Alpha Company newsletter.

Collection Challenge Takes Over Great Lakes (February 2012)
When the call for donors went out to all four branch health clinics in Great Lakes, Ill., the medical staff members didnt hesitate to donate. For more than 600 clinic staff members, it was game on during the first-ever Branch Health Clinic Collection Challenge.

Restart of Something Great (January 2012)
Recently, a sea of sailors were the backdrop for a smattering of soldiers and Marines in Great Lakes, Ill. For several weeks each year, the Navy does not conduct training with new recruits and the need for blood drives outside of the Recruit Training Command increases. Lt. Toinette Evans, division head of the Blood Donor Processing Division ...

A Mobiling We Will Go (December 2011)
In keeping with the season of giving, the Blood Donor Processing Division Great Lakes hit the road to bring donation opportunities to the blood donor. With more mobile blood drives than ever before, the crew could be seen headed east one day and west the next. One day, a blood drive at Ft. Sheridan, Ill., to the south was followed up with a drive ...

On Hold Status, Not Held Back from Donating! (November 2011)
Every week the Navy's newest sailors graduate boot camp and begin their military careers in Great Lakes, Ill. After graduation, many of these sailors leave the area for training. However, some remain for administrative, logistical or medical reasons and begin their careers in a "hold" ...

Meet Mr. Miracle (November 2011)
Maurice Brunson is a walking miracle. After the former supervisor captain of the Great Lakes Security Forces, survived a dissection of his aorta and lived to tell the tale, he earned the title "Mr. Miracle." His story of survival began only four months ago: What started out as a normal day for Brunson ended up nearly costing him everything.

Nothing Can Stop These Donors from Giving... (October 2011)
After a terrible storm wreaked havoc on the first blood drive scheduled for staff members at the Lovell Federal Health Care Center, the Blood Donor Processing Division decided to return for a second staff blood drive. Except this time it wasn't the weather that posed challenges ...

Department of Defense Takes Home Top Honors in Great Lakes (September 2011)
Almost every recruit has the opportunity to donate blood during boot camp in Great Lakes, Ill.-during the fifth week of training, the Armed Services Blood Program conducts trainee blood drives yielding bounty of healthy donors, always ready and willing to donate blood for the Department of Defense.

Donating for One of Their Own (September 2011)
Recently, the leadership at the Branch Health Clinic 1523 in Great Lakes, Ill., contacted the Blood Donor Processing Division of the Federal Health Care Clinic with a great idea-conducting an ASBP blood drive designed specifically for the employees of the clinic. After nurse Mary Bailey's son, Marine Lance Cpl. Larry G. Bailey II, suffered severe injuries ...

Despite Heavy Rain and Wind, This Blood Drive Shines (September 2011)
A recent 19-day shift in blood drive schedules for recruits caused blood collections to become a top priority at the Blood Donor Processing Division. After weeks of preparations, the blood collection team expected the first ASBP blood drive held at the Lovell Federal Health Care Center, Great ...

Sarah Smiles... and So Do Her Donors (August 2011)
It is easy to see that phlebotomist Sarah Marion loves blood donors! She is constantly seen at blood drives with a smile and cheerful attitude talking to donors about blood donations. She began working with the Blood Donor Processing Division of the Lovell Federal Health Care Center, Great Lakes ...

More than Just the "Supply Guy" (July 2011)
Jeremy Simmons knows about blood drives; and he ought to since he has spent the past nine years performing an assortment of jobs with the Blood Donor Processing Division, Great Lakes, Ill. Known locally as "the supply guy," Simmons oversees supply purchases, inventory control, contract and procurement, and delivery of supplies to drive sites ...

Last "Good Knight" in Great Lakes (July 2011)
For more than one year, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Christina Knight has been more than an advanced medical laboratory technician-she has been a key player for the Armed Services Blood Program blood donor center in Great Lakes, Ill. After what she calls "eight solid years" in the Navy, Knight is leaving active duty to pursue a nursing degree at the University ...

Blood Drive Honors Marine (June 2011)
When Cpl. John Peck signed up and suited up for the Marines in 2005, he knew he would be making a difference in the lives of others. After deploying to Iraq and suffering an injury from a roadside bomb in 2007, Peck's strong-willed spirit allowed him to re-enlist in 2009; however, this time he would need 81 blood products and 27 surgical interventions to save his life.

Motivation to Donate (May 2011)
At a recent Armed Services Blood Program blood drive, Seaman Recruits Robert Roth and Jon Barnett from Division 180 of the Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, shared their own personal reasons for taking time out of their busy training schedules to donate to the military blood program. Here are their stories:

Twelve Years of Positive Change in Great Lakes, Ill. (May 2011)
"All hands on deck! Report to Ship Five for the Armed Services Blood Program blood drive!" This is what recruits at the Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, will hear from now on. Blood collections for the recruits are now part of their training schedule. Blending with the Recruit Training...

A Whole Lotta Miles for a Whole Lotta Blood! (April 2011)
On March 21, 2011, Jim and Linda Parker arrived at the blood donor center in Great Lakes, Ill., to continue their journey into America's heartland of the mid-west. Their journey so far has been extensive and the mileage on their vehicle reflects the distance and dedication they continue to show...

A Unique Way to Recognize Gallon Donors (March 2011)
The Blood Donor Processing Division of the Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Ill., recognizes gallon blood donors in a unique way. Instead of waiting for the annual blood donor recognition ceremony held each January the blood donor team of Great Lakes, Ill., recognizes...

A Different Kind of Valentine's Day Gift (March 2011)
For most, it is the holiday known for gifts of roses, chocolate and romantic dinners. But for the recruits at the Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., Valentine's Day 2011, was about the gift of blood. With the largest number of available recruits to donate blood in two years, the opportunity...

Rock Stars Spotted! (January 2011)
National Blood Donor Month is underway and the Great Lakes donors are already kicking it into full swing! On Jan. 5, 2011, the Blood Donor Processing Division of the Lovell Federal Health Care Center conducted an Armed Services Blood Program blood drive at the Naval Hospital Corpsman School, and as always, the corpsman and staff jumped into action.

Returning Every 57 Days to Donate (January 2011)
Jay Belanger is as dependable as they come. So dependable, in fact, that he can be found every 57 days at an Armed Services Blood Program blood drive eagerly waiting for the first possible opening to donate. After a donation, a donor must wait eight weeks before donating again and Belanger doesn't waste a minute before getting back into the donor chair!

The Top Brass Donations Add Sparkle to Holiday Season (January 2011)
The combined efforts of local commands have continued to make an incredibly positive impact on available blood products for the military blood program this holiday season. On Dec. 3, 2010, at a staff blood drive, "leadership by example" was the order of business for the day...

Leadership Takes Center Stage at Great Lakes, Ill. (December 2010)
For the past 12 years, weekly blood drives at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., have yielded thousands of healthy, excited blood donors ready to make a difference early in their Navy careers and bring in a wealth of life-saving blood for the ill or injured military community.

USS Theodore Roosevelt New Collection Site for Great Lakes Donors (December 2010)
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end-turns out this applies to blood collection sites as well. Since 2005, the USS Marvin G. Shields has been the collection site for 90 percent of the blood collections taking place each week at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. But the ship was not immune to the damages that time and wear can cause, and the collection site move was inevitable.

Two Join Gallon Blood Donor Hall of Fame (November 2010)
When the Regional Blood Donor Center in Great Lakes, Ill., held an Armed Services Blood Program blood drive on Oct. 18, 2010, many familiar faces and brand new donors showed up to make a difference and help those in need of blood. In the crowd of eager and willing donors, two men stood out...

ASBP Attends Fall Meeting of Illinois Association of Blood Banks (October 2010)
As the spring flowers begin to wilt and the leaves begin to change colors, the feeling of change and opportunity blossoms in Chicago. That same feeling filled the rooms at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare Hotel when the ASBP joined other Illinois blood collecting agencies...

Remembering the USS Cole (October 2010)
On Oct. 12, 2000, 17 sailors lost their lives in an unprovoked attack on the USS Cole. The heroic stories of the lives saved that day stand as a testament to the training, teamwork and transfusions that contributed to so many surviving the terrible and unprovoked attack in the waters of Yemen.

Civilian and Military Blood Programs Work Together for a Win-Win at Great Lakes (September 2010)
Blood and blood products are life-sustaining, invaluable resources that are relied on by both military and civilian blood donor centers.

The Donation that Also Treats the Donor (September 2010)
Every blood donor center would love to have regular blood donors dedicated to saving the life of a friend, family member, or stranger in need. Retired Navy Chief Greg Putz has been donating a unit of blood every other week since 2008, forgoing the usual 56-day wait after blood donations, but with good reason.

Navy Completes Boot Camp Overhaul (August 2010)
The Navy officially accepted its completely overhauled boot camp during a ceremony in Great Lakes, Ill., July 14, after more than a decade of constant demolition and construction zones.

Enlisted Military Medical Training on the Move (July 2010)
The Naval Hospital Corps School in Great Lakes, Ill. has been the medical training site for Naval Hospital corpsman since 1974. Blood drives for the Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP) have been conducted quarterly there and the response from the military community has always been stellar.

At Great Lakes, A Simple Yes or No and You're Ready to Go! (June 2010)
The Armed Service Blood Program provides a scheduling system that allows blood donors to go head of the line in Great Lakes and minimize the time required to register and complete paperwork at each blood drive.

Until the Last Marine is Safe (June 2010)
Petty Officer 2nd Class, Joshua S. Levin works at the Hospital Corpsman A School in Great Lakes, IL, where he helps set up blood drives for the Armed Services Blood Program. This work turns out to be a continuing mission for Levin who has assisted in the transfusion of nearly 500 units of blood to battlefield casualties during multiple deployments.

Party On! Medical Laboratory Professionals Week 2010 in Great Lakes Brings Great Fun (June 2010)
Armed Services Blood Program donor staff at Great Lakes celebrated this year's Medical Laboratory Professionals Week this past April with a blood drive at Recruit Training Command. When the work was done, it was time for some fun!

A Return to "Old School" Blood Drives at Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes (June 2010)
Each week hundreds of trainees line up, energized and ready to support the Armed Services Blood Program by donating blood. By week's end, donated blood products are shuttled to awaiting DoD aircrafts for flight into areas where blood is most needed by military service members worldwide.

From Battlefield to Donor Center: How One Corpsman Redefined His Role in Navy Medicine (June 2010)
After boot camp training and completion of Marine Corps School, HM2 (FMF) Ryan Allen's first duty station assignment was with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 29 Palms in Calif. Upon arriving with the Corps, he was told to pack and get ready to deploy to Iraq...

Man on a Mission: Dustin Winnon (April 2010)
HM2 (FMF) Dustin Winnon is a man on a mission. Each day he arrives at Naval Hospital Corps School in Great Lakes, Ill. to provide 12 hours of instruction in academic and military training to future Navy Corpsman. In addition to his instructor duties, Petty Officer Winnon is also an active blood donor who...

Ten Year Evolution of a Blood Donor Center (April 2010)
Each and every month more than 1,000 blood products make their way from the recruit blood donor center in Great Lakes, Illinois to battlefields and military family members all over the world.

Great Lakes Recruits - It All Starts Here (March 2010)
The making of a new Sailor at Recruit Training Command (RTC), Great Lakes, IL takes eight weeks of training informally known as "Navy Boot Camp." From arrival at the main gate until the Sailor leaves on the bus with a packed sea bag, every event or mandatory training is tightly scheduled.

Over a Hundred Lives Impacted (March 2010)
On any day of the work week, you will find Jay Belanger doing what he does best: coordinating and orchestrating the endless information technology challenges of running a network system at the Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes, IL. Jay's dedication and work ethic keep the communication lines of Navy medicine open...

Great Lakes Area Commands Support Military Blood Donations (January 2010)
The combined efforts of local commands have made an incredibly positive impact on available blood products for the military blood program this past holiday season. In their usual outstanding manner, the staff and students of Great Lakes stepped up and kept donations strong...

Navy Recruit Motivates Entire Division to Donate Blood (August 2009)
Only three weeks after leaving home in Stockton, CA and starting boot camp at Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes, Recruit Joshua Eichhorn had already begun to distinguish himself as an outstanding Navy citizen. However, several weeks into his demanding physical fitness schedule he began to notice a level of fatigue...

Recruit Training Command and Training Service Command Great Lakes Scheduling and Site Coordinators Recognized for Their Dedication to the Blood Program During National Blood Donor Month (January 2009)
Recruit Training Command and Training Service Command Great Lakes Scheduling and Site Coordinators Recognized for Their Dedication to the Blood Program During National Blood Donor Month