Calling Nurse Mearns

Many were called, but this story is about one woman. Winnie Rueff writes the true story of her life.

In 1943, World War II was the topic in every part of society. We needed nurses, both for the War effort and for the citizens here at home in the U.S. One of the steps taken to mitigate the nursing shortage was the creation of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps. A congressional bill was introduced by Congresswoman Frances P. Bolton, a Republican from Ohio. The Bolton Act started in 1943 and continued until 1948. This Act was modified to make the Cadet Corps a non-discriminatory program. There were Native American, Japanese-American and African-American student nurses in the program. Being selected to become a Cadet Nurse meant the student nurse could receive a government subsidy that paid for tuition, study materials and nursing uniforms and a small stipend. Graduates pledged to serve in Federal, civilian and government positions until the end of the war.

As a girl growing up in Cicero, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Winnie knew at age five that she wanted to be a nurse. She achieved that dream, but did not realize what life had in store for her personally or professionally. You can compare her training with nurses' training today.

Winnie goes from the slums of Chicago to California, and takes us along for the journey. On the way, she experiences the happiest days anyone could imagine and the most tragic. During this time, you will read about her indomitable courage as she perseveres through life's challenges, ultimately finding what she had been seeking all along.