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Here in time of need PACKAGES OF HOPE
Lifelong Nebraskan, 95, credits his POW camp survival to the Red Cross By Maggie O’Brien
SPECIAL FOR THE AMERICAN RED CROSS
For about a year between 1944 and 1945, U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Harley Jackson’s life was in the hands of Nazi soldiers in a German POW camp about 100 miles from Berlin. A diary, carefully preserved in a memory box all these years, tells of his time there. Instead of expressing his fear or describing how poorly the Nazis treated him, Jackson wrote about the meals he and the other men received in care packages put together by American Red Cross volunteers. “Christmas fare, 1944. Christmas Eve, 8:30 p.m. One half a can of Spam, mashed potatoes and gravy, Boston baked beans, two slices of jam toast and coffee, chocolate pie, whipped cream and nuts. “Very, very güt,” Jackson wrote, using the German word for “good.” Jackson, of Beatrice, was a navigator with the 484th Bomb Group, on a “milk run” to hit an airfield in Szolnok, Hungary. (Jackson’s crew had already flown 21 of its requisite 30 missions.) He was fiddling with his navigational maps and cracking jokes over the intercom of the B-24. Just then a bombardier in one of the squadrons flying above prematurely dropped his bombs, and one of them ripped through an engine on Jackson’s plane. The 38,000-pound bomber began to spin, jerk and tumble, and the crew scrambled for their lives. Some of them made it; others did not. Those who did had to pray they were not hit by one of the other bombers in their formation, would be able operate a parachute with little to no previous training and would survive the landing. “The point comes that if you want to keep breathing, you have got to jump,” Jackson said. “My chute opened OK, and I fluttered down.” Jackson, who was born in rural Jefferson County in 1921, landed in a farm field, injuring his lower back as he hit the ground. Soon after, an angry Hungarian farmer put a pitchfork to his head and shouted words Jackson couldn’t understand. “It was a bad day,” Jackson said. The farmer immediately turned Jackson and his fellow flyboys over to the Nazis. There were interrogations. Eventually he was interned in Eastern Germany in Stalag Luft III with roughly 20,000 other Allied prisoners of war. The camp was the site of “The Great Escape,” the infamous March 1944 breakout immortalized in the 1963 film of the same name. Now 95, Jackson credits his survival to the Red Cross and its team
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Harley Jackson kept a meticulous journal as a WWII Nazi POW. He credits his life to care packages from the American Red Cross during an uncertain year in the camp. A memory box from that time includes photos, like the one above, flight logs, letters from home and his diaries. Below, Jackson, in 1944, and today, at home in Beatrice.
JACE ANDERSON
on the ground in Europe. For a little less than a year, Jackson lived in doubt about his survival. But through it all, the Red Cross was a familiar symbol of comfort, reassurance — and the source of care packages. The food, clothing and essentials the Red Cross provided saw him through until the Americans liberated the compound. “(Gen.) George Patton’s tanks may have busted down our gates, but it was the Red Cross that saved my life,” Jackson said in a video interview with the organization. “Without them, many of us would never have
made it.” The Red Cross played a crucial humanitarian role in World War II. The organization enlisted more than 104,000 nurses for military service, shipped 300,000 tons of supplies and prepared 27 million care packages for American and Allied POWs — packages like the ones Jackson and his comrades enjoyed, according to the Red Cross. “Red Cross packages delivered to prison camps were oftentimes the only link to home that a service member had,” said Richard Dinsdale, a regional communicator for American Red Cross humanitarian
services. “Red Cross parcels containing food items, tobacco and personal hygiene items were the lifeline that helped keep hope alive for those not knowing what the next days of the war would bring.” The Red Cross packages were a lifesaver, Jackson said. “We got good food to eat, we got decent clothes to wear.” The packages stimulated much conversation about home-cooked meals, and every day they would pool the food items from the packages, and come up with ways they could be used to prepare a meal to share. During the interview, Jackson said he loves to eat, and that candy bars are his favorite snack. At one point during his time at Stalag Luft III, he and other prisoners even tried to name all of the candy bars they could think of. There are about 80 of them on a list in his diary. Candy bars in Red Cross packages were a welcome treat during a difficult and frightening time. After the camp was liberated, Red Cross nurses provided medical care and more. “(The Red Cross nurses) talked to us, told us what they were going to do for us, brought us food and new clothing,” Jackson recalled. Jackson said that because the men had lost so much weight — he dropped 50 pounds while a prisoner — they had to follow a strict protocol
on what to eat and how to eat until their bodies again adjusted to food. One of his fellow prisoners did not follow the regimen and died. After the war, the Red Cross started the national civilian blood drive program it’s best known for today. “The U.S. military asked the Red Cross to start a blood-collection program that ended up collecting over 13 million pints,” Dinsdale told The World-Herald. “This initiative enabled the Red Cross to develop a process and infrastructure that could be brought back to the civilian world after the war. Today, because of these roots, we supply more than 40 percent of the blood and blood products in the country.” For his part, Jackson left Europe and returned home to Nebraska, where his wife was waiting. The couple raised two children, both girls. For 30 years, Jackson worked for the U.S. Postal Service as a mail carrier. To this day, Jackson supports the efforts of the Red Cross and encourages people to give blood, volunteer, or support financially. He said he will be grateful to the organization for the rest of his life. He hopes to live at least another five years so he can continue telling the story of his part — and the Red Cross’ role — in the Second World War. “I’m going for 100,” Jackson said. “But only the good Lord knows when I’m ready to go.”
MORE ON OMAHA.COM: SEE BONUS PHOTOS, STORIES CELEBRATING THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN OUR REGION.
Congratulations to 100 years, American Red Cross Nebraska.
One hundred and HDR. A century of pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. A future of collaborating and creating the only way we know how. Together.
Creighton University congratulates the American Red Cross Nebraska on a century of service and charity. We proudly support the Omaha-Metro Chapter and its mission to serve millions of people regionally. Creighton is a dedicated partner and hosts several blood drives each year to support the Red Cross’ many humanitarian services and programs. hdr100.com
Congratulations, Red Cross, on a century of service to our community. We’re proud to share a birthday with you!
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WE ARE ALL THE AMERICAN RED CROSS — SLEEVES UP. HEARTS OPEN. ALL IN.
For well over 100 years, the Red Cross has been a symbol of assistance, providing comfort and hope in times of tragedy and terror. In a mission to protect life and health, aid takes many forms across our state, nation and world. Humanitarian care to soldiers and civilians in war zones, as well as their families back home; relief services to communities whose livelihoods have been cut off or destroyed by fire, flood, tornado or worse; vaccinations against deadly epidemics; collection and distribution of 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply; courses in CPR, water safety, swimming and more. • Behind each effort is a set of fundamental principles set forth by Red Cross founder Clara Barton to ensure respect for the human being through mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and peace. As the Nebraska Red Cross marks its 100th year, we celebrate a caring community of volunteers, donors and employees dedicated to serving those in need in our own backyard.
MAIN NEWS
• SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2017
AMERICAN RED CROSS: CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF SERVICE IN NEBRASKA
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Millard West teens give back – often By Maggie O’Brien
needs blood every two seconds; about 36,000 units of blood are needed across the country daily. During the 2016-17 school year, the three Millard West drives brought in 411 units. A typical high school blood drive brings in 35 units, said Samantha Pollard, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross’ Midwest Blood Services Region in Omaha. Meyer said most students are excited to turn 16 so they can donate if their parents approve. After a teen’s 17th birthday, donations can happen without parental permission. At least 85 percent of donations during Millard West drives are from students; the rest are staff donations, Meyer said. The blood drives “are disruptive,” Meyer chuckled. “But we love seeing the kids give back. For every unit they donate, they help three people.” Recent Millard West graduate Ryan Jansen said he’s been donating blood since his sophomore year because he understands how much it helps people who are sick or injured. “I was really nervous throughout the questionnaire and screening process, but once the actual donation started, I wasn’t nervous,” Jansen said. “It was over very quickly.” Meyer said Johnston would have enjoyed seeing the drives continue to grow. “Jim was very passionate about giving, and we are continuing something he started,” Meyer said. “We’ve got big shoes to fill.”
SPECIAL FOR AMERICAN RED CROSS
The three annual American Red Cross blood drives at Millard West High School were started 22 years ago by Jim Johnston, a science teacher and athletic trainer. Johnston, who spent 32 years with the Millard Public Schools, died in March 2014 after a car struck the bike he was riding. He was 56. Johnston introduced the blood drives in 1995, shortly after Millard West opened, said Jeanne Meyer, a speech pathologist for the school, who took over spearheading the blood drives after he died. Since then, the drives have been run by the Millard West chapter of HOSA-Future Health Professionals, a career-focused organization endorsed by the federal Department of Education. HOSA stands for Health Occupations Students of America. “It’s just the culture of our building to have three blood drives a year,” said Meyer, who also is Millard West’s HOSA adviser. “Most schools don’t have three.” Most people think of blood donors as being older people. But according to the Red Cross, about 20 percent of its 6.8 million yearly blood donors are high school students. The idea is to encourage teenagers to donate young, so they continue giving blood into adulthood. The reason? The need is always there. The Red Cross estimates that someone in the U.S.
SLEEVES UP, HEARTS OPEN, ALL IN On average, 91 cents of every dollar donated to the Red Cross is invested back into humanitarian services and programs to help communities be prepared, safe and healthy.
BLOOD DONATION Every 2 seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. The Red Cross holds about 400 blood drives every day –- yet blood supplies are seriously low. Platelet donations, too, are going to hospitals as quickly than they’re coming in. The Red Cross supplies about 90 percent of Nebraska’s blood supply. One in three people in Nebraska and Southwest Iowa have been touched by Blood Services. Donate today and help ensure that blood of all types will be readily available for those in need. Find a location, redcross.org
FIRST AID
AMERICAN RED CROSS
American Red Cross blood drives are a 22-year tradition at Millard West High School. These students participated in April.
Nothing beats hands-on training when seconds — not minutes — matter most in a medical emergency. The Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED program teaches participants how to recognize and respond to cardiac, breathing and first aid emergencies. Visit redcross.org or call 1-800-REDCROSS to learn about classes in your area.
FIRE SAFETY
FAST team fields calls for first aid By Maggie O’Brien
SPECIAL FOR AMERICAN RED CROSS
The early-season Husker game days at Memorial Stadium are beset with sunshine, up to 90,000 red-wearing football fans and heat stroke. “The temperature inside the bowl is a lot hotter than it is outside,” said Loren Knauss, executive director of the Capital Area and Eastern Nebraska Chapter of the American Red Cross. “Whenever the temperature hits 74 or 75 degrees, people start to get heat strokes.” Knauss oversees a Red Cross program in which trained volunteers act as first responders at large events in Lincoln and across Lancaster County. Called the First Aid Services Team, or FAST, the 200 to 300 people on the team provide basic emergency medical services at events before paramedics are sought to take over and transport patients to local hospitals, if needed. FAST has been a presence at University of Nebraska-Lincoln football games since 1937. Since then, the program has grown to include Husker men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball games, along with non-UNL activities and community events. FAST members include EMTs, paramedics, nurses and others in the medical field, along with business professionals, stay-at-home parents and college students. FAST handles more than 300 events each year. Most team members also have 9-to-5 jobs, Knauss said. In the FAST program, which has been licensed by the State of Nebraska since 2006, volunteers sign up for eight weeks of intensive first aid and CPR training to become certified emergency medical responders. The training is more in-depth than the few hours of instruction required to become CPR-certified. EMR certification requires additional knowledge and skills so volunteers will be prepared for anything. The Red Cross covers the training
cost. All that’s asked in return is for volunteers to remain committed to the program for as long as they are able and willing. “It’s difficult for people to wrap their minds around how much work the team does,” Knauss said. “They save lives. It’s a lot like a volunteer fire department.” The needs range from cuts and scrapes to heat stroke, heart attacks and strokes. Three years ago, multiple people suffered heat stroke at a game in what Knauss called a “mass casualty” situation. About 150 people receive some form of first aid during every game. Each season, at least one person has a heart attack at a UNL home game. “When you have that many people in one place, it happens,” Knauss said. Last year, a man went into cardiac arrest at UNL’s graduation. A member of the team used a defibrillator to start the man’s heart and stabilized him until he could be rushed to the hospital. The volunteer is credited with saving the man’s life. “The team has evolved over the years,” said Henry Schultz, a FAST volunteer. “We have always tried to provide more and more services and tried to give better care for people.” Schultz began volunteering with the team 35 years ago. He was working as a respiratory cardiac therapist for Bryan Health in Lincoln, and although he loved the medical field, he felt that the Red Cross program allowed him to gain and use additional skills. “This way, I could get into other things,” Schultz said. “And the people I work with and I have a lot of fun together.” The volunteers try to help with nonmedical needs, too. Schultz, who is 66 and retired, recalled when he and another volunteer found a lost child at an event. He said he’ll never forget the look on the mother’s face when they returned the child, safe and sound. “You can’t pay for that feeling,” Schultz said.
Colin Lee, left, and Wade Petray saved colleague Jeanne Burkart’s life in February 2017, with CPR training received from the local chapter of the American Red Cross.
Co-workers knew CPR, and that made all the difference By Maggie O’Brien SPECIAL FOR AMERICAN RED CROSS
Jeanne Burkart almost became one of those stories nobody wants to hear. The afternoon of Feb. 4, 2017, the then 57-year-old Burkart was at Crete Carrier Corp. in Lincoln, where she works as a legal assistant. Without warning, she collapsed and lost consciousness. One of her colleagues called 911, while others rushed to help her. Burkhart was not breathing and had no pulse. Colleagues Wade Petray and Colin Lee began CPR. Burkart’s pulse and breathing resumed, buying paramedics time to jump-start her heart with a defibrillator. Burkart was intubated and rushed to a Lincoln hospital. When she woke up six days later, Burkart’s doctors told her that she had suffered an arrhythmia — an abnormal heart rhythm that causes about 325,000 U.S. deaths each year. Most arrhythmias have no symptoms, which makes them especially serious. “I had no warning,” she said. “It was like a switch went off. One minute I was at work, and the next I woke up in the hospital. I had felt fine.” Doctors told Burkart that her
co-workers likely saved her. Their fast, calm efforts in performing CPR made all the difference before paramedics arrived. “I started crying when everybody told me what happened,” Burkart said. Petray and Lee are among 16 Crete Carrier employees in the company’s first responder program, a safety training initiative offered through the American Red Cross. Christopher C. Hilkemann, Crete Carrier’s vice president of risk management and associate general counsel, said the company’s first responder program began a decade ago in an effort to improve workplace safety. It’s one of those things you have, like health insurance,” he said. “You hope you never have to use it, but when you need it, you’re really glad you have it.” Burkart, a wife and the mother of three adult children, said she’s feeling great and back at work. She’s grateful to her co-workers for knowing what to do, quickly. “It could have turned out way differently. I could have been home by myself or driving. Colin and Wade were just awesome,” Burkart said. Added Hilkemann: “This could have been an unhappy story. But it’s a happy one because of what our teams were able to do.”
HERE’S TO A CENTURY OF SERVICE.
LINK TO HOME The Red Cross has a long history of supporting military members, veterans and their families through Services to the Armed Forces. The program’s Hero Network provides emergency communications and travel services when there is a family issue back home. Trained volunteers even provide workshops to help with practical issues and the emotional challenges associated with military deployments.
FREE APPS Red Cross preparedness apps are designed to provide ordinary people with the tools they need to take extraordinary actions. The all-inclusive “Emergency” app lets you monitor more than 35 different severe weather and emergency alerts, to help keep you and your loved ones safe. Other apps include First Aid, Tornadoes, Floods, Wildfires, Swimming and Earthquakes. All are available for free download from your favorite app store.
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Thanks for your dedication and compassion, touching the lives of countless individuals locally, nationally, and around the world.
Proud supporter of the American Red Cross of Nebraska and Southwest Iowa
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Three of every five home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that don’t work. This fall, the Red Cross will “Sound the Alarm” to promote fire safety in more than 100 communities. Between Sept. 23 and Oct. 15, 100,000 free smoke alarms will be installed in 40,000 households across the U.S. Omaha’s event is scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 24. You can help save lives by volunteering, making a gift to the Red Cross, or helping spread the word about the event. Visit soundthealarm.org to get involved.
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