MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE DARWIN, Australia- A group of brave souls volunteered their time July 1 to share the gift of life.
With the prick of a needle, more than 18 bags of much needed blood was transferred from the Marines currently participating in Southern Frontier 2003 to the welcoming hands of the local chapter of the Australian Red Cross.
These 18 givers of life, along with more than 200 other Marines from Marine Aircraft Group 12, Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242 and other Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, supporting units, are currently here working on air-to-ground core competency training.
After receiving a call from the Red Cross requesting blood donors from the visiting Americans, Navy Lt. Pete Fremont-Smith, chaplain for MAG-12, began collecting names and organizing transportation.
"They were really excited to have us come out," added Fremont-Smith. "I thought this would be a great opportunity for us to give back to one of our allies."
The group took off that afternoon ready to help supply part of the thousands of blood donations needed each week in Australia that go to everyone from premature babies and the elderly to people with life-threatening illnesses and accident victims.
According to the American Red Cross Web site, without donors helping those in need of the red and white blood cells and platelets would be impossible.
Essential to the delivery of blood to the Australian community "is the voluntary, non-remunerated donor system which epitomizes the humanitarian spirit of the Red Cross movement - people helping people."
"Helping other people is what being a good person is all about," said Petty Officer 3rd class Justin R. Robison, a religious program specialist with MAG-12. "Donating blood is just the right thing to do."
Before being qualified to give blood, the donors had to filled out a donor declaration form, completed a medical questionnaire and received a finger prick to check their hemoglobin levels, a special protein in the red blood cells that carries oxygen to the tissues and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs.
Corporal Teresa Vires, a flight equipment operator with VMFA(AW)-242, completed her registration process, took a seat in one of the reclining couches and was more than ready to donate blood.
"I was really happy to be a part of this," she said. "I just felt I needed to give something back."
Each donor gave 470 milliliters of blood that afternoon, which took anywhere from five to fifteen minutes. That blood was then tested and prepared to send to those in need.
Fremont-Smith, who was pleased with the outcome of the event said, "The Australians have been our allies for years and it was good for us to give something back to them."