FORT MILL — More than 350,000 women served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II.
One of the few survivors is a 101-year-old enjoying her retirement in Fort Mill, tending to her garden and birdfeeders in the interior courtyard of her assisted living complex. Sometimes she shares a story about her in the military — just on occasion. After all, it’s been 80 years.
“I don’t have a lot of memories of being in the service, but I remember I did enjoy it, and it was very good for me,” Margaret Brewer told The Post and Courier.
Prior to the war, women had been serving as Army and Navy nurses for decades. More opportunities developed in 1942, with each branch creating corps or programs for women, according to the National Park Service. They served as clerks, mechanics, pilots, gunnery instructors, air traffic controllers, weather forecasters, postal workers and translators.
Brewer joined the Navy and became a driver for officers base in Washington, D.C. Her three years of service overlapped with World War II.
“I had three brothers, and they were in the service,” said Brewer, who grew up in Waxhaw, N.C. “I thought, ‘Would it be nice if you would join?’ I had two brothers in the Army, one in the Air Force. I chose the Navy.”
Brewer’s service was cut short when her mother developed cancer. She said she returned to Waxhaw to care for her, and the Navy did not retain her.
Military life circled back her way, years later, when she married a Marine Corps veteran.
For Veterans Day 2024, she served as grand marshal for Rock Hill’s Veteran’s Day Parade.
Her military career was relatively short, but in Brewer’s long life she has shown resilience. She was still living on her own at 98 years old when she connected with her current caregiver, Dominique Hill.
“I couldn’t believe she was 98 when I first met her,” Hill said, describing Brewer’s energy and independence. “My first encounter with her, it was around Christmas time, and at the time, she was still able to bake cakes. We baked three cakes that day as Christmas presents.”
Brewer made it to 100 years old in her former home before consulting with Right at Home, a home care and assistance company in Rock Hill. The company helped her make the transition to Somerby Baxter Village, a Fort Mill assisted living center.
“She’s really quite active, and I don’t want to even say ‘for her age,’” said Jim Ryan, owner of Right At Home. “A lot of people that I take care of are far worse off and far younger than she is. So her remaining active has been a really good thing.”
Brewer has been a widow for a while, and she has no children. But she has been able to build a network of friends and remaining family who helped her remain at home through 2024, Ryan said.
The World War II Museum in New Orleans says about 45,000 World War II veterans in the U.S. were still alive going into 2025.
Fort Mill World War II veteran recalls her time in service
