thedrifter
03-11-06, 06:27 PM
For the Troops: Blood Drive Honors Twin Falls Marine
By Cassidy Friedman, The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho,
Mar. 11--TWIN FALLS -- Three hundred and sixty four days a year, Twin Falls residents send the troops their appreciation. On Friday, residents took that support a step further by sending their blood.
Other drives have collected blood in the name of Marine Cpl. Travis Greene. But on Friday, all blood collected was destined for the military.
Greene, 24, a 1999 Twin Falls High School graduate and a star on the Bruin track and field team, lost both legs in an explosion Dec. 7 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He is now recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
"The young man's family is friends of mine," said Terry Fletcher, 57, just before he sat down to give blood. For years, Fletcher has ridden motorcycles with Greene's parents. Now, he follows their son's progress on the family's CaringBridge Web site.
The Greenes' group of friends has steadily increased in size since December.
Take Ron Black, 62, who has three kids in the service. One of them attended school with Travis Greene. He said thoughts of his children and the injured soldier's story motivated him to come.
"I check the Web site on a daily basis," he said.
Sgt. Mario Rivera of the Armed Services Blood Bank Center said the blood drive is really about supporting military families.
"When we say 'military family,' we mean: Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines," he said.
Twin Falls was the third and last stop of a statewide blood drive initiated by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne.
The first two drives exceeded their goals, collecting 60 pints in Boise; 104 in Mountain Home. The drive in Twin Falls fell 5 pints short of its goal of 50 pints, in part because 20 donors failed the screening.
"It's been a tremendous ordeal for Terry and Sue," Fletcher said. "But there has also been outstanding support on the Web site from across the nation."
Ellie
By Cassidy Friedman, The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho,
Mar. 11--TWIN FALLS -- Three hundred and sixty four days a year, Twin Falls residents send the troops their appreciation. On Friday, residents took that support a step further by sending their blood.
Other drives have collected blood in the name of Marine Cpl. Travis Greene. But on Friday, all blood collected was destined for the military.
Greene, 24, a 1999 Twin Falls High School graduate and a star on the Bruin track and field team, lost both legs in an explosion Dec. 7 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He is now recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
"The young man's family is friends of mine," said Terry Fletcher, 57, just before he sat down to give blood. For years, Fletcher has ridden motorcycles with Greene's parents. Now, he follows their son's progress on the family's CaringBridge Web site.
The Greenes' group of friends has steadily increased in size since December.
Take Ron Black, 62, who has three kids in the service. One of them attended school with Travis Greene. He said thoughts of his children and the injured soldier's story motivated him to come.
"I check the Web site on a daily basis," he said.
Sgt. Mario Rivera of the Armed Services Blood Bank Center said the blood drive is really about supporting military families.
"When we say 'military family,' we mean: Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines," he said.
Twin Falls was the third and last stop of a statewide blood drive initiated by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne.
The first two drives exceeded their goals, collecting 60 pints in Boise; 104 in Mountain Home. The drive in Twin Falls fell 5 pints short of its goal of 50 pints, in part because 20 donors failed the screening.
"It's been a tremendous ordeal for Terry and Sue," Fletcher said. "But there has also been outstanding support on the Web site from across the nation."
Ellie