Dover AFB winter blood drive Published March 4, 2013 By Airman 1st Class Ashlin Federick 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Dover Air Force Base, Del. -- More than 100 service members, dependents and retirees at Dover Air Force Base, Del., came together at the base theater Feb. 25, 2013, to donate blood to the Armed Services Blood Program. Military-to-military blood drives, like those administered by the ASBP, have a set quota they must meet every week to send to service members downrange. They also send units of blood to wounded troops and veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. One pint of blood is considered one unit. Each unit can save up to three lives. "When you give blood, you should not see it merely as a bag of blood, but as some of your life-source being given to save another," said Airman 1st Class Ian Gonzalez, 436th Civil Engineer Squadron emergency management. During the blood drive Team Dover donated up to 49 units of blood. This means that between 98 and 147 people will get a chance to keep on living. "Every unit of blood that we collect is saving a life," said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Gerald Magee, a U.S. Navy volunteer with ASBP. "Without it someone would pass away, because when a troop is losing blood there is no other way to save them." Gonzalez said when he first gave blood during basic training, he learned that he had a rare blood type. He is O negative, which means his blood can be given to any other blood type, but he can only receive O negative blood. Hearing this made him want to donate whenever he can get the opportunity. All service members, dependents and retirees who meet the qualifications are eligible to donate. Gonzalez said that during the next blood drive people should think of how awesome it would be if everyone who is eligible to donate made an appointment or did a walk in. Dover AFB would make ASBP run out of donation units. "I want to thank all the donors who took an hour out of their day to help save a life," said Magee.