By Sarah Kuper
If you ask Sterling Brewer where he grew up, he won’t tell you about his childhood in Nashville.
“I grew up in New Guinea and in Japan. At the age of 18 coming in direct contact with the dead, dying and wounded changes you,” he said.
Brewer was drafted into the Army the week he turned 18. He served as a surgical technician in World War II.
With no previous medical experience other than a few weeks of training at Beaumont General Hospital in Texas, Brewer found himself assisting surgeons first in New Guinea and the Philippines, and then in Japan after the atomic bombs were dropped in 1945.
Brewer said he has a difficult time relating his experiences because some memories are too tough to talk about, but he does remember the kindness he experienced during his years in the service.
“I had four brothers who were in the Army at the same time. During my basic training I went directly to the general of the camp and told him I was going home to see my mother,” Brewer said, “Almost no one gets to take a furlough during basic training but the general was kind and said, ‘Your mother has five sons in the Army right now? Where do you live and how long will you be gone?'”
Brewer said he learned a lot about war, but he also learned about peace, especially when he was serving in Japan after the surrender.
“The Japanese military leaders were terrible, but the normal Japanese people I encountered were friendly and felt no animosity toward me nor I toward them.”
With Memorial Day approaching, Brewer is looking back on his experience during the war but also reflecting on his re-entry into civilian life after service.
“You know, veterans were immediately appreciated and celebrated after we came home but that seemed to fade with the Vietnam War,” Brewer said. “The disaster of that war took away the appreciation of veterans because it was so unpopular.”
After Brewer returned home, he began a career in media and advertising in Birmingham.
As a radio and television broadcaster, he served as reporter, anchor, weatherman, salesman and even sports director for WAPI and WBMG-TV (now CBS 42 WIAT).
He left broadcasting to start his own advertising firm and after several years sold the firm and became a school bus driver for 21 years.
Today, Brewer takes time to share his memories and wisdom with churches and school groups that reach out to him.
He frequently participates in events and ceremonies at the American Village in Montevallo.
The American Village is a large campus in Montevallo allowing visitors to step back in history to witness America’s journey for independence.
With colonial buildings and reenactors, the village is a destination for field trips and history buffs, but it also houses the National Veterans Shrine and Register of Honor.
The shrine is modeled after Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia and within the building is access to a digital archive of photos and biographical accounts from veterans.
This Memorial Day, Brewer said, he appreciates the mission of American Village.
“When you are 90 years old, every day is a special day, but Memorial Day is very important to me,” he said. “I am glad to see veterans getting more respect and recognition.”
