STARTS BALL ROLLING
The ball was stated rolling by A/lc Roy Slyer of the 42nd A and E Flight Line section, who lives in Washburn. Miss Avis Myshrall, 22. who is a neighbor of Salyer is the victim of a severe case of
tuberculosis and is in need of a lung operation. In order to perform the operation, eight pints of blood were required at a cost of approximately $280, which Miss Mysherall's parents Mr. and Mrs. Henry Myshrall were unable to afford. This is where Airman Salyer came in. He launched a one man blood drive. Within a short time seven of his co-workers M/Sgt William E. Tyson, S/Sgt. Paul L. Schroyer, S/Sgt. Harmon K. Curlee, A/1c Donald R. Allen, A/1c Frank R. Wilson, A/1c Kenneth R. Christman and A/1c Stanley O. Maddix had volunteered to give a pint of blood.
HOSPITAL COOPERATES
The first step was completed, but the next question was who would extract the blood: Lt. Harold P. Lapesarde and his staff at the base hospital laboratory quickly solved this problem by volunteering to perform the task. By 3 o"clock Tuesday the eight pints of blood were safely stored in the hospital's blood bank.
Airman Salyer's plans were to take the blood to Washburn so it could be taken with Miss Myshrall when she went to the sanatorium in Fairfield, Wednesday where the operation was to be
performed. But to complicate matters. Miss Myshrall was transferred to the hospital in the meantime. She was in Fairfield and the blood was at Limestone Air Base, over 250 miles apart.
A check with the motor pool revealed that no vehicles were available to make the trip, this one
stopped Airman Salyer cold, but not for long. Capt. Ronald Berg, officer in charge of A and E Flight Line section heard about the one-man mercy mission and offered to take A/1c Salyer and blood on a flight he was making to Dow Air Force Base. By 3 o'clock Wednesday afternoon they were on their way.
ARRIVE AT DOW
Upon arriving at Dow, they were met by a representative of the information service, who had been notified of the mercy run by the Limestone ISO. The Dow officer took charge of the blood and it was soon on its last leg of the journey to the Fairfield Sanatorium.
Officials at the Central Maine Sanatorium at Fairfield said Thursday night she came in several days ago for surgery, but the surgery is not to take place for two or three weeks.
The blood, they said, has been placed in the blood bank at the Thayer Hospital in Waterville and will be available when the operation is performed.
Her condition was described as "good."
"We often times have trouble securing blood for Aroostook County patients because of the distance," officials said.
"This blood was more than welcome."