Margaret was sponsored by the Western Sea Frontier during a Red Cross blood drive contest. She gave speeches and publicly inspired others to donate. She did not win, but received recognition for collecting nearly one thousand pints of blood. The WAVES played a significant role in sending blood to the crises at Iwo Jima and Okinawa during the war.
Margaret, pictured below (center), considered herself a shy woman at the time and her husband now affirms that it was a great personal feat for her to take on such a public role.
“I went around to different places and got people to donate blood. I probably made my first speech on a ship.”
Hinges of History 