The CAF’s blood program: Major Damien Miller’s heartfelt commitment
December 3, 2025 - Defence Stories
Estimated read time – 2:00
Caption
Major Jenifer Morrison (left) and Major Damien Miller (right) at the Canadian Blood Services blood drive held at National Defence Headquarters Carling Campus on July 30, 2025.
Photo supplied by: Major Damien Miller.
Major (Maj) Damien Miller has one mission: teaching others about the importance of blood donation. As the Blood Program Manager at the Directorate of Health Services Operations, he creates blood administration training content and delivers it to Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members.
The blood program, one of many CAF health initiatives, was new when Maj Miller took on the role in 2023. "There were a lot of things going on to start building it up," he said. "I just took those and kept running with them."
Under his leadership, the program trains Combat Medics and Paramedics (previously Medical Technicians and Medical Assistants) on blood transfusion, and members attend the NATO Blood Panel to take part in discussions between partners on compatible blood transfusion practices. The program also works on expanding the number of CAF members screened for Emergency Blood Collection. This allows screened members to donate blood immediately and directly on a battlefield.
Caption
Chief of the Royal Canadian Dental Corps CWO Manon Mailhot, at the Canadian Blood Services blood drive held at National Defence Headquarters Carling Campus on July 30, 2025.
Photo supplied by: Major Damien Miller.
Meanwhile, a passion project for Maj Miller is organizing blood drives at National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) Carling Campus. He plans them along with Maj Jenifer Morrison, the Staff Officer Nurse Training, and in partnership with the Canadian Blood Services. In July 2025, the blood drive collected 117 blood units, surpassing the program’s goal of 96 units. The most recent blood drive was held in November 2025.
While Maj Miller is now enthusiastic when it comes to talking about blood, that wasn’t the case when he first joined the CAF.
“My choice of trade was a toss-up between being a medical technician and being a nurse.” He went with the latter, thinking it would keep him away from blood.
Now, with 20 years of experience, he has not only dealt with blood countless times as a critical care nurse, but he is invested in spreading awareness of its many uses to save lives.
Caption
BGen William Rideout, Director General Clinical Services, at the Canadian Blood Services blood drive held at National Defence Headquarters Carling Campus on July 30, 2025.
Photo supplied by: Major Damien Miller.
“If people really realized how important it is to give blood to the people who need it, they’d be more likely to give.” He added that hemorrhage is the number one cause of preventable death on the battlefield.
This fall, the program will welcome a new member. Maj Miller wants the program to continue growing, as he believes it’s essential to train people in delivering, procuring, and shipping blood.
“Training has a direct impact on the survivability of soldiers in future combat situations. So, if I can get that done and I can go home proud of what I’m doing, I can feel fulfilled,” he said.
Visit Canadian Blood Services to learn more about how you can contribute by donating blood.