Serving others one pint at a time

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jordan Sillence
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- According to the Red Cross, someone in the U.S.  needs blood every two seconds. For people like 1st Lt. Michael Ober, that is of personal interest.

Ober, an airfield operations flight operations officer assigned to the 71st Operations Support Squadron, is a bridge between the Our Blood Institute  and Vance Air Force Base and he helps promote blood drives on base.

He began working with them to continue helping with blood donations during his longer recovery periods after giving blood since he is a universal donor.

The importance of staying involved in giving blood comes largely from his experiences with family members who have needed blood in the past and helping Vance work with Our Blood Institute only makes his involvement easier.

“We have this partnership with Our Blood Institute,” Ober explained. “They facilitate all of our blood drawing and blood storing.”

The Air Force has a blood program that supports the armed services blood program, said Ober.  Vance’s clinic does not have the size or capacity of larger bases. This is where OBI helps as a local blood clinic by giving the 71st Medical Group one less thing to worry about. 

Ober sees many benefits and hopes that other Air Force bases in Our Blood Institute’s reach will cultivate a similar relationship with the organization. 

The Our Blood Institute in Enid team have found themselves partnered with Vance not only for Vance’s Air Force Blood Program  contributions but for the veteran and civilian community as well. 

“Through the 2024 blood drives on base, we collected over 330 units of blood, resulting in blood transfusions for up to 1,011 hospital patients,” said Jessy Dershem, the Enid OBI executive director. “OBI supplies 100%  of all hospital transfusions in Enid and Northwest Oklahoma, 100% of the blood transfusions at the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs hospital, and 98% of all hospitals in the state of Oklahoma.”