The Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Blood Bank hosted a three-day blood drive aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) that was completed Jan 29.

In total, the blood bank collected 68 units of blood from a total of 88 volunteer sailors.

"The blood donated goes to forward-deployed units," said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Ierena Gadegbeku. "It supports worldwide operations for all members of the Department of Defense. Military personnel are often put in situations where they could face life-threatening injuries, making these donations vital."

Donations during the blood drive also go to government contractors, government servants, spouses and children.

"Blood saves lives. It is better than anything synthetic we can make and we are highly dependent on people to donate it," said Lt. Cmdr. Pamela Choi, Truman's ship surgeon. "There's nothing I can do as a surgeon without blood. While I recognize the sacrifice, it goes to a great cause."

Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Blood Bank's blood drive also put Sailors into Truman's walking blood bank. The walking blood bank is a compiled list of Sailors and their blood types. Truman does not store blood on board the ship, so these Sailors are on standby in case an emergency occurred where blood is needed.

"It's an exchange," said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Angela Martinez. "We give them the blood, then [Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Blood Bank] tests it and gives us the results. From there we determine if the Sailor is a good fit for the walking blood bank."

The Armed Services Blood Program works with Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Blood Bank to collect donations in the fleet.

"I feel awesome when I am taking donations," said Antiya Sutton, Armed Services Blood Program phlebotomist. "Just knowing that it helps people in need makes it worth it, but especially because the donations taken from the military stay in the military."

Sailors choose to contribute for a wide range of reasons; from the replenishments to family medical history, they feel proud to be a part of saving lives.

"It's for a good cause and you can't beat free snacks," said Quartermaster 3rd Class Kalee Bosley. "I donate in honor for my dad who has diabetes, so I jump at the chance to help the medical field anytime I can."

Truman's medical team was pleased with the overall participation in the blood drive but are always looking for more donations.

"We are very grateful for the individuals that donated," said Capt. George Semple, Truman's senior medical officer. "The positives that come out of this are that we were able to help those that were forward deployed and we supported our walking blood bank on board."

Truman is currently moored at Naval Station Norfolk preparing for its composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX). For more news from USS Harry S. Truman visit http://www.facebook.com/usstruman

For more news from USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), visit www.navy.mil/.