GENEVA —
When Jeanne Onuska closes her eyes, she sees blood.
A member of the European Military Historical Society, Onuska portrays a Red Cross nurse entrenched in battle-torn Europe during World War II, tending to wounded soldiers in harsh conditions.
Bringing history together with 2011, Onuska will host a living-history museum display and American Red Cross blood drive today at the Geneva Village Nursing and Rehabilitation center, 1140 S. Broadway.
“There is just a dire need for blood donations right now,” she said. “I was thinking of creative ways to get people interested in donating blood, and this is what I came up with.”
Onuska will set up a replica World War II German Red Cross field hospital as a living-history display. She will wear the uniform of a Red Cross nurse and teach about what life was like for nurses in war zones. The living-history display is free.
“Anyone and everyone can stop by and see the display,” she said. “The Red Cross will be here if anyone wants to donate blood, and we hope people will take the time to make that donation.”
Onuska will portray a Slovakian Red Cross volunteer.
“The women were often young, in their teens or 20s,” she said. “A lot of them lost families, their homes were bombed out, and they didn’t have the money to get an education. To learn a vocation, they took up the nursing program offered free through the Red Cross.”
A price went along with “free,” Onuska said.
“The women often worked in subzero temperatures in a canvas tent with a wood-burning stove and snow-packed floors, wearing a cotton dress and an overcoat,” she said.
The horrors of war extended to the nurse volunteers, Onuska said.
“It was a harsh life, a harsh vocation,” she said. “The Russians despised the Germans, so to deter some women from joining the service, they raped and beat some volunteers. Women were found hung in trees as a warning to other women to not join the Red Cross, even though the women had nothing to do with the German war effort.
“When the women returned home, they were often disgraced and stripped of their nursing papers because of their affiliation with Germany and Hitler, even though they had nothing to do with the Germans,” Onuska said.
Onuska said she appreciates the struggles of the Red Cross volunteers during World War II and she hopes telling their story will keep their efforts alive.
“We honor them with our donations of blood,” she said.
The American Red Cross is running the Good to Give Blood – Good to Go campaign. All blood donors are given a chance to win an all-inclusive trip to Walt Disney World for four people.
Local News
History, blood drive combine today
- Local News
-
-
LIS sixth graders participate in Outdoor Learning Day at beach
Thanks to Lakeside Intermediate School’s participation in the Waterways Adventure program, students may do more than play in the water when they go to the beach this summer.
-
Students learn about community at PV Middle School
Pymatuning Valley Middle School students got a shot of reality from a variety of different sources Friday during an all-day program designed to help understand their community and life responsibilities.
-
Holiday weekend brings sizzling start to summer
After many weeks of balmy weather, Mother Nature is poised to crank up the thermostat — just in time for the big Memorial Day holiday weekend.
-
Dragon makes history with space station docking
The private company SpaceX made history Friday with the docking of its Dragon capsule to the International Space Station, the most impressive feat yet in turning routine spaceflight over to the commercial sector.
-
Six ready to interview for Buckeye’s super job
The Buckeye Local Board of Education will conduct interviews with six superintendent hopefuls next week, said Board President Jacqueline Hillyer.
-
Casino tax cash could be arriving soon
Those rolling dice and spinning slot wheels in the new Cleveland and Toledo casinos will generate a modest jackpot for Ashtabula County, but the exact amount is anything but a sure bet, said County Auditor Roger Corlett.
-
Fire does significant damage to Lenox Township home
Firefighters from three area departments battled a smoky, early-morning blaze at 1400 Route 46 South, said Jefferson Fire Chief John Wayman.
-
Conneaut City Council studies school safety collaboration
City Council next week will consider a partnership with the local school district to embark on a new school security system.
-
Madison Township man in jail on pending drug charges
Madison Township Police Department and members of the Eastern Lake County Warrant Entry team served a search warrant at 22 Eddie Road in the Western Reserve Trailer Park early Friday morning.
-
Six ready to interview for Buckeye’s super job
The Buckeye Local Board of Education will conduct interviews with six superintendent hopefuls next week, said Board President Jacqueline Hillyer.
- More Local News Headlines
-
