AER participates in bone marrow registry drive at Fort Bliss

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A U.S. Soldier in uniform stands on one side of a table covered in envelopes and watches a man in civilian clothes scan a QR code with his phone.

Army Emergency Relief | April 1, 2025

Army Emergency Relief teamed up with Sgt. Christian Sutton, aka the Bone Marrow Guy, on March 31 at Fort Bliss, Texas, to register Soldiers during a bone marrow donor screening event.

Tony Grinston, AER CEO and 16th Sergeant Major of the Army, was at the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division’s motor pool to speak with Soldiers about AER and introduce Sutton, who is also stationed at Fort Bliss, and highlight his efforts — known as Operation Ring the Bell — to boost bone marrow registry across the Army and Department of Defense.

Similar donor drives were conducted across the country March 31, including Fort Bragg, where more than 1,000 turned out to register after a call went out on social media on behalf of the 82nd Airborne Division’s Sgt. Derrick Bishop, who is in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Operation Ring the Bell is near and dear to Grinston as he lost his brother-in-law to a form of bone marrow cancer. In addition to local drives, those interested in being a potential donor can register online.

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Tony Grinston, Army Emergency Relief CEO and 16th Sergeant Major of the Army, introduces Sgt. Christian Sutton, who leads an effort known as Operation Ring the Bell, March 31, 2025, at a Fort Bliss, Texas, motor pool. (Photo by Sean Ryan, Army Emergency Relief)
Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, register as potential bone marrow donors March 31 at the battalion’s motor pool at Fort Bliss, Texas. (Photo by Sean Ryan, Army Emergency Relief)
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