Florida Veteran Health Heroes

Page 7 CAPTAIN JEANNE GRUSHINSKI-RUBIN Captain Jeanne Grushinski-Rubin was a Polish-American registered nurse working at Bellevue Hospital New York City when she joined the U.S. Navy at the start of World War II in 1942. She felt a strong desire to enlist and took the opportunity to serve the country that accepted her immigrant parents and provided her with an education. Jeanne was stationed at several U.S. Navy hospitals, including Philadelphia, Pensacola, San Leandro, and finally the Pacific Islands where she worked with a small team of nurses and corpsmen to provide medical relief after the war. The team made their way from island to island, until they reached Okinawa, where they took charge of a makeshift fleet hospital. In 1947, Jeanne married a U.S. Navy pharmacist and was required to retire. However, Jeanne returned to the Navy Reserves where she stayed until she became a captain in 1978. During her time, Jeanne received many awards including the American Theater Ribbon Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Theater Medal and the World War II Ribbon. After retiring from the U.S. Navy, Jeanne volunteered with several community organizations and served as a dedicated advocate for veterans and civilians. She joined the Elderhostel organization, now known as Rhodes Scholar, and participated in over 75 international special projects. Jeanne has also been a member of the American Red Cross since 1941 where she served as a nurse during times of crisis. Most notably, Captain Grushinski-Rubin was stationed in Dade County following Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Additionally, Jeanne dedicated hours of volunteer service on behalf of veterans and received numerous awards for her work at VA hospitals and clinics. Her awards include the President’s Volunteer Service Award, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Voluntary Service Certificate, and the Polish Legion of American Veterans Voluntary Service Award. Most recently, Jeanne was inducted into the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame in 2013. When asked about her time in the military and her dedicated volunteer service, Jeanne stated: “It was a matter of doing what I loved to do, being in contact with people, and helping.”