Twitter
Facebook
Army Col. Timothy Hudson, commander of the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, donates blood with the Armed Services Blood Bank Center-Europe. He is assisted by Army Spc. Zackary Baker, ASBBC-E medical laboratory technician. — Photo by Stacy
A busy schedule sometimes makes it difficult for anyone to find time to donate blood. Now imagine being the commander of the largest U.S. hospital in Europe. Amid meetings, patients and staff, it is something that could easily be ignored. This is not the case for Army Col. Timothy Hudson, commander of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl.
Hudson intentionally made time to come donate blood at the Armed Services Blood Bank Center-Europe, because he has witnessed the need for human blood on a personal level.
In 2005, he deployed to Mosul, Iraq, where he served as the 47th Combat Support Hospital Intermediate Care Ward nursing officer in charge, in addition to the chief nurse of the 274th Forward Surgical Team.
“We were in Iraq for a year. While assigned to the Forward Surgical Team, we carried blood with us, we had to have it and when we went into operations where we thought that we would potentially need it, we would request more,” Hudson said. “Well, that blood would come from people donating in the European area, just like what I am doing now.”
Hudson personally saw how powerful it was for individuals to donate blood.
“The blood they were donating, even just a week prior, could be assisting a service member in need,” he said. “Even though a blood donor may not be deployed, they are still a part of the fight.”
After witnessing firsthand how Armed Services Blood Program blood is used in combat areas, he made a promise to himself and his fellow service members and their families.
“I will do my part,” he said. “Not only will I ensure that I am donating regularly, I will get the word out about how important it is. As the LRMC commander, on the ground in my first 30 days, one of the first things I wanted to do was come donate blood and lead by example.”
No matter how busy life can get, there is someone out there that needs you to make time and save their life by donating blood.
The ASBBC-E needs you to donate at a blood drive or contact the donor center to donate platelets or plasma. Find an ASBBC-E blood drive on www.militarydonor.com. For more information about the donor center, find it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ASBBCEUR.
About the Armed Services
Blood Program
Since 1962, the Armed Services Blood Program has served as the sole provider of blood for the United States military. As a tri-service organization, the ASBP collects, processes, stores and distributes blood and blood products to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and their families worldwide. As one of four national blood collection organizations trusted to ensure the nation has a safe, potent blood supply, the ASBP works closely with our civilian counterparts by sharing donors on military installations where there are no military blood collection centers and by sharing blood products in times of need to maximize availability of this national treasure. To find out more about the ASBP or to schedule an appointment to donate, please visit www.militaryblood.dod.mil. To interact directly with ASBP staff members, see more photos or get the latest news, follow @militaryblood on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Pinterest. Find the drop. Donate.
The Armed Services Blood Program is a proud recipient of the Army Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Public Affairs award for journalism.
