MARGARET HAMMETT NEW

U.S.ARMY AIR CORPS, NURSES CORPS


Interview by Johnnie Faye Taylor


Margaret Hammett is the daughter of Archie Keiffer Hammett and Sunie Hall Hammett. She was born and raised in Inman, South Carolina, which is located near Spartanburg, South Carolina. Margaret is one of nine children born to her parents.



After graduating from high school, Margaret attended Lander College (now University) in Greenville, South Carolina for 2 years. She then entered Emory University as a nursing student. On Sunday, December 7, 1941 Margaret and a friend who was another nursing school student were on a picnic in the Atlanta area with some young Army officers from Ft. Benning, Georgia. The young men were acquaintances of the Margaret's friend. The group heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor while listening to a radio that afternoon. The picnic quickly ended and the young Army officers left immediately to return to Ft. Benning.



Margaret and some other nurses in her class decided that they would like to help in the war effort when they graduated. During World War I, Emory University had a Unit in the Army Nursing Corps and planned to do the same for World War II. The young women wanted to be a part of the Emory Unit.



After Margaret graduated in 1942, the Emory Unit still had not been activated. She and three other women decided to enlist anyway with the understanding that they could transfer to the Emory Unit when it became active.



Margaret and her three friends went to Fort MacPherson for physicals. One of the girls was very slim and under the required weight for enlisting. They had fed her lots of bananas and other food to try to get her weight up to an acceptable level so she could pass the physical. The young women all passed the medical requirements and were accepted for duty. They were commissioned 2nd Lieutenants and sent to Maxwell Air Field in Montgomery, Alabama.



Lt. Hammett had not been at Maxwell Field very long when it was discovered that she and the other newly commissioned nurses could not salute properly. It was evident that some training was needed. A training program was set up for the nurses at that time. It included the proper way to salute, exercises and doing calisthenics.



Margaret worked long hours at the base. Patients were mostly ill or injured personnel from Maxwell Field. This base was the training field for new cadets.



Living conditions were good. The nurses were assigned to the officers quarters on base. The food was good and many social activities were planned for the people stationed there. Margaret especially remembers the dances. She had several pretty evening dresses that she enjoyed wearing on those occasions.



There was never a shortage of men to escort the nurses to the dances. Though she was not allowed to date the enlisted men, she was allowed to date any of the many officers based at Maxwell Field and other nearby bases. Margaret did date a young British pilot who was stationed at the nearby Gunter Field in Montgomery. She had some good times with the British group based at Gunter.



Being a nurse in the Army Air Corps had some advantages. One of those was being able to ride in any of the military planes. Margaret recalls once when she wanted to go to Spartanburg, South Carolina to visit family, a British pilot flew her home in his airplane.



Margaret had a bad case of bronchitis while at Maxwell Field that caused her to have asthma and she was hospitalized for awhile. When the Emory Unit was activated in 1943, they called when they were ready to go overseas. When it was discovered on her medical records that she had asthma, they refused to let her go with them. She was confined to stateside duty.



The three friends who had gone into service with her left for overseas duty with the Emory Unit. Margaret was disappointed that she couldn't go with them. She found out though that there was a great need for nurses in the States and she could still make a contribution to the war effort.



Later, Margaret was sent to the Greenville, Mississippi Air Base. She worked 12-hour shifts from seven to seven with only one day off each month. In spite of the long working hours and almost no days off, she enjoyed her time in Greenville.



Margaret never wanted to be an operating room nurse; however, the Air Base needed her for that duty. She learned to enjoy the work. Casualties were being brought in from overseas by this time. She had a feeling then of really participating in the war. Margaret signed up for the nurse anesthetist training. An opening for that training never came up before she was transferred.



Her next assignment was LaGuardia Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was a really large hospital. Patients there were mostly casualties from the Battle of the Bulge. Margaret worked on the orthopedic ward. It was heart breaking for her to see the 18 and 19 years old boys with such serious injuries. Many of her patients were suffering from frostbite as well as their battle wounds. Toes and feet had to be amputated. It was so sad!



It became time for Margaret to go on furlough. She was at home in Spartanburg on V-E Day when the war in Europe was finally over and victory declared. There was much celebration on that day and the days that followed.



Margaret returned to LaGuardia Hospital in New Orleans when her furlough was over. She was not back there very long before she received orders to go to Camp Polk near Alexandria, Louisiana. From Camp Polk she was sent to Black Mountain, North Carolina for about 2 months. Margaret's brief assignments at Camp Polk and Black Mountain were because of a shortage of nurses in those locations. Many nurses were discharged as soon as the war was over. Margaret's discharge was postponed for awhile due to the need for nurses.



Margaret returned to the Spartanburg area for a short time while she decided what she wanted to do in the future. She had some time for reflection on her military nursing service. Margaret feels fortunate to have been able to serve her country in a useful way during the war years. She is also quick to point out that she had some fun in her off duty hours. Margaret said, "It was such a privilege to serve and I had enjoyed it so much that I felt guilty about taking mustering out pay".



Margaret decided that she would return to Emory University for a BS Degree. She graduated in 1947. Veterans Hospitals were in need of nurses. Margaret went to work for the V.A. in Lake City, Florida.



By this time, Margaret's mother was in poor health. She was only comfortable when Margaret went home to relieve the nurses who had been hired to take care of her. Margaret drove from Lake City, Florida to Spartanburg, South Carolina every other weekend to be with her mother. Margaret was happy to do this for her mother and never regretted the time and effort it took for the bi-monthly trip before her mother died.



When the V.A. Hospital in Dublin, Georgia opened, Margaret transferred to the new facility. She continued to enjoy her work and her social life. She met Jacob New in 1948 and began dating him.



In 1952, Margaret Hammett and Jacob New got married. Margaret continued working at the V.A. Hospital after their marriage. When their first child was born, Margaret left the V.A. for a few years. A second child was born to the couple a few years later.



Margaret was ready to return to work at the V.A. when their daughters started to school. A valuable person came into Margaret and Jake's life at that time. They hired Adelle Davis to take care of the two girls and run the house so Margaret could go back into the nursing field again. Both Margaret and Jake remember the love and dedication Adelle gave to their family.



A new working schedule was given to Margaret when she returned to work. She now was working Mondays-Fridays from 8AM to 4:30PM with weekends off. She continued with this working schedule for many years. Adelle had become a part of the family by this time.



Margaret retired in 1981. She had more than 30 years service with the U.S. Government.

Retirement from the V.A. has allowed Margaret time for many church and civic activities. She has served on the Laurens County Board of Health for 10 or more years. She has been Chairman (several different times) of the 10 County Area Advisory Board for Mental Health. Margaret has served as treasurer of the Community Service Boards and was on the executive board at the State Level of Community Service Board.



Margaret is a very active member of the Henry Memorial Presbyterian Church where she is a Sunday School teacher, deacon and elder. She has served on some Presbytery committees and is a graduate of the School of Laity, Savannah Presbytery and a past moderator of Women of the Church.



Other activities that Margaret enjoys are the Women's Study Club, Fine Arts Association, the Dublin-Laurens County Historical Society and playing bridge. Margaret also paints and has some of her beautiful paintings hanging in their home. Music is another of her enjoyments though she says she plays the piano now only for her pleasure.



Margaret and Jake are very proud of their two daughters. Eleanor Marie is married to Bryan McDavid. They have one son and live in Macon where Eleanor teaches biology at Stratford Academy. Jackie married Ed Gannaway and has three sons. Ed was killed in the ASA plane crash near Carrollton, Georgia on August 21, 1995. Jackie is a Social worker at the V.A. Hospital in Dublin. Both daughters have Masters Degrees in their chosen fields.



Traveling is something that Margaret and Jake both enjoy. They have visited several countries and found pleasure in the native cultures of each country.