In a written memoir read by Marjorie Brown, Ruby Busch recalls her service in the American Red Cross during WWII


Marjorie Brown:	Ruby Busch has been a member of WOSL since 1952. It is not convenient for her to tape since she is not in the City of Denver. However, she has given me permission to read her, um, her, her written history, uh, for the WOSL Oral History, uh, Group. Uh, Ruby was in the American Red Cross. She was a civilian attached to the military. Um, she volunteered because there was a terrible need, um, for helping people in, in, in uniform at that particular time. Before she went into the Red Cross, she was a – she taught school and was a 4-H leader. Um, in the service, she was Program Director, later Club Director, uh, for the Red Cross arranging, uh, for sporting events, parties, tours, um, for the British and the American troops. Uh, while serving in the Red Cross, she was in England, uh, at [Saint M 1:06] in, suf-, Suffolk, London, Edinburgh, and Cambridge. Uh, while she was serving over there, uh, her questions were, um, first of all a hotel and then later a room in the Red Cross Club, um, in a building like a hotel. Her medical care was adequate, uh, same as the military. Uh, when she was ill, she was taken care of, um, at the 65th General Hospital located near the Red Cross where she was assigned. Her uniform was gray wool winter. Uh, for the summer, it was a lightweight gray summer suit with white blouse and white shoes. 

	Her most memorable experiences were of celebrating and being thankful for, for D-Day, V-E Day, and then when the bombers would go across the channel to bomb, uh, waiting for them to return and counting them. Her greatest adjustment, um, to, to, uh, uh, the Red Cross was working long hours and the British rations. Her diet was inadequate she felt, and she did come home anemic. Um, she had no problems as far as termino-, uh, as far as regulations. Uh, she was certainly not worried about lack of freedom, uh, and she certainly did c-, catch on very rapidly about the army terminology. Um, the work that she did for the Red Cross perhaps did, uh, help her, uh, in deciding what she wanted to do, um, in the future. Uh, she went to college, received an MA in library work and, uh, worked as a librarian. Uh, she did then go back into the air force in England, uh, as a librarian and was able then to travel to the continent. Her, uh, being a member of WOSL means a great deal to her. Introduced me to lots, uh, people who had, uh, similar experiences to me and, uh, sharing of, of, of good and bad times.


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