Message From The AAB Associate Member Section Chair

Dear Colleagues:

Members of the clinical laboratory staff, 322nd Medical Company, Camp Cropper, Iraq

I always mentioned to my husband Greg that it would be nice to send a goodie box to a group of military laboratorians.

Then while setting up the programming for our convention in Las Vegas, I asked Dr. Birenbaum if he could ask Brigadier General David L. Smalley, Ph.D., M.S.S., BCLD(ABB), to speak about any unusual organisms that the military microbiology labs were seeing in Iraq. Our convention happened to be at the same time that our country celebrated Armed Forces Day, and we also decided to honor our AAB members who are currently serving in the military or who had served.

Dr. Smalley asked Captain Jerome McKay, M.S., to speak for us – what a great presentation he gave!! I had coffee with him after the meeting and asked if it would be appropriate to send a goodie box to a lab such as the one in Iraq that he served in. He thought it would be a great thing to do.

So I contacted Dr. Smalley, and he put me in e-mail contact with a unit commander by the name of Major Michael Carroll. I explained to him my personal intentions, and that my part-time employer – Aspirus Reference Lab in Wausau, WI, has a monthly "Fun, Food and Filanthropy" project where a different department from the lab chooses a charity or organization to donate to, holds a potluck and charges a few dollars for lunch and gathers any items that the chosen group may need. Knowing that my chemistry department was hosting the July potluck, I asked my group if sponsorship of a lab in Iraq would be of interest. My group was very interested in this project. There were four techs in Michael’s lab. I asked him for a list from these four soldiers of items that they would enjoy receiving. I then "went shopping" and found every item on their list except for three. I sent that first box to them from my family. The second box we sent from ARL contained five sets of series DVDs and many paperbacks and magazines that, according to Michael, would be appreciated for use by all of the soldiers in his medical unit.

It made all of us feel good to finally be able to send some items to fellow laboratorians stationed in harm’s way – so far from home. I wanted them to know how much we appreciate the service they are providing for our Country and for their fellow soldiers. Michael sent pictures to me of his staff opening up the boxes that we sent. Their smiles made me feel as if I had truly made a good decision to pursue this project! We plan on another project as one of my co-workers has recently been deployed to Afghanistan. He is serving in the Navy Reserves and his unit will be gone for at least a year.

Please feel free to contact Dr. Smalley and ask him for help if you are considering a special project like this on your own, or a project from your own lab. The AAB office will put you in contact with him and you can have fun with this and feel great about making a soldier happy and appreciated! It sure made me feel good!  

Susan M. Miller, MT(AAB)
AMS Chair

Reprinted from January 2011 AAB Bulletin

Other Sites of Interest

Clients Logo
Clients Logo
Clients Logo
Clients Logo
Clients Logo
Clients Logo
Clients Logo