American RED CROSS visited PRANG Published Nov. 13, 2008 156th Airlift Wing MUNIZ AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Puerto Rico -- The American Red Cross chapter of Puerto Rico, carried out a blood harvesting session in Muñiz Air National Guard Base in Carolina. This activity took place as part of National Guard Week celebrations from 8 to the 12 of Sept.. The event was a combined effort between Joint Forces Headquarters, the 156th Airlift Wing, the Wing's Family Readiness Program aerial chapter, and the American Red Cross. The acts were carried out in the 156th Services Flight facilities at bldg. 16. Five experienced employees of the Red Cross with more than 5 years taking care of this type of activity administered the service. Also the volunteers of the military family readiness program supported to the donors and the members of the Red Cross. The acts of blood harvesting started in the morning at 9 a.m. with an attendance of more than the 40 donors combined of the air, army and civilian personnel. Mr. Rafael Navarro, supervisor of group of the Red Cross said, ¨This was a very good activity, family program personnel, military personnel, and the donors were tremendous hosts, they made us at home." Mr. Navarro took the opportunity to be thankful to the all the support personnel surrounded in this activity . We asked Mr. Navarro, if they had arrived at the harvesting expectations and he said, "that although they always settle down numbers, the important thing to us is that "we arrived with empty hands and we went out with our hands full." Also, he made emphasis that the goals are only for effect of the equipment used and logistic of the activity. Navarro stated, "the important thing here is to fulfill our mission." Navarro explained that the collected blood called "raw material" goes through a vast technological analysis and processes list before it is directed to the hospitals.