World War II Volunteer Reflects On History with Red Cross

Written by Mason Anderson, Staff Writer, RedCross.org

January 4, 2002 — On Dec. 7, 1941, 15-year old Joyce Ravenburg was spending the quiet Sunday morning in her Salina, Kan. home. Her parents were away at a football game and Ravenburg was alone when she heard the news that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. Soon, her Girl Scout leader called to ask if she would be willing to help teach first aid classes at her local Red Cross.

"We knew that many doctors and nurses would be going into military service and it was important for people to know how to respond to emergencies as much as they could," recalled Ravenburg. "Soon after, I started working on disasters because our small town would flood quite often."

Thus began Ravenburg's 60 years of service with the American Red Cross.

Joyce Ravenburg, center, continues to work with World War II veterans.

As World War II began, the doors of Red Cross chapters were thrown open to thousands of new volunteers who wanted an outlet for their frustration over Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

"It was one of the most interesting times in history to live because everything changed so fast. Cars were no longer made; trucks were no longer made. Everything went to the war effort", Ravenburg explained.

Even the Red Cross directed many of its resources to the armed forces, recruiting nurses on behalf of the military, as well as more social workers and recreation specialists to ease the discomfort of civilians being drafted. One nurse recruit was newly married Ravenburg, who had met her husband, Air Force Capt. Ralph Ravenburg, in 1943. The couple moved to Capt. Ravenburg's new station in Clovis, N.M., where Joyce volunteered as a Red Cross nurses' aide at a nearby hospital.

"That was quite intensive training and very very interesting. I even got to go into the operating room. They were so short of doctors and nurses. It was wonderful to see a group of volunteers come in and help with all the things the nurses were swamped doing. They were delighted to see us because they were so tired and so anxious for help," Ravenburg said.

The Ravenburgs traveled around the world throughout Capt. Ravenburg's 31-year career with the Air Force. Among their homes were North Africa, Morocco, France and Italy.

"Wherever I went, it was traditional with military wives to serve the Red Cross because that was our community that the Red Cross was serving, so you just naturally went into it. It was wonderful when you went overseas because you just unpacked, got your family set up, and went into the Red Cross field office and said 'Here I am'. It was like a part of home because the Red Cross work was the same everywhere. The Red Cross was the only organization allowed on military installations," recalled Ravenburg. "The Red Cross nurses did a lot to help the injured, the wounded. All volunteers were important though - whether talking to the servicemen, communicating with families, helping new widows who had just lost their husbands in war, or handing out refreshments. We were always very busy."

Today, Joyce Ravenburg continues serving the soldiers of World War II through the Red Cross Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS) as a deputy national representative. Through the VAVS, Red Cross volunteers ranging in age from teenagers to retirees, provide a number of support services to patients in Veteran Affairs medical centers. These services may include physical rehabilitation, social work, general ward help and information, library work, nursing or administrative support.

"We try to get a representative into every Veteran hospital to represent this organization. Now, 1,000 people a day from World War II are dying. It is important we get young people in to visit them. Some veterans have no one to visit them because they have no families left."

To volunteer with the VAVS, please contact your local chapter.