SAN DIEGO -- Marines are more than warfighters on the battlefield, protecting and defending our nation and its freedom. The Marine Corps motto, “Semper Fidelis,” meaning, “always faithful,” represents the loyalty of every Marine to another and the faithfulness to stand together through every battle faced. Not every battle fought is on the frontline, some battles are fought within.
No Marine gets left behind, so when one is down, his or her Marine brotherhood and sisterhood come together to help in the fight. Lyanna Fernandez, the daughter of Staff Sgt. Juan Fernandez, a recruiter with Recruiting Sub-Station Corona, Recruiting Station Riverside, passed away two months before her second birthday after fighting Leukemia. In memory of Fernandez, 12th Marine Corps District and RS Riverside hosted blood drives with the San Diego Blood Bank and the Los Angeles Children's Hospital on October 7th and October 27th to increase awareness and donate blood, helping save the lives of others battling life-threatening diseases and/or injuries.
“Without the support of our community, patients at Rady Children’s, San Diego Kaiser, Sharp and the San Diego Veteran’s Affairs Hospital would not have blood readily available to them.” Robert Nauman, San Diego Blood Bank account marketing manager
According to Robert Nauman, account marketing manager with San Diego Blood Bank, every two seconds, someone needs a blood transfusion and one in three people will end up needing blood in their lifetime. Someone can donate up to five times per year, saving the lives of approximately 30 people.
“We are the only blood bank in San Diego,” Nauman said. “Without the support of our community, patients at Rady Children’s, San Diego Kaiser, Sharp and the San Diego Veteran’s Affairs Hospital would not have blood readily available to them.”
Marines of 12th MCD and RS Riverside came together to donate blood and save lives in memory of Fernandez and in support of her family. Being a Marine means more than being the Nation’s 911 force and the first to fight. It also means being an upstanding citizen and serving the community, strengthening America’s home front and the people who reside in it.