J. William "Bill" Brewer entered the war after college in 1944. He was placed in "fast track" officers training at Columbia and Harvard Universities, where he became a Navy Ensign. He was assigned to the USS Boise, General McArthur's flagship in the Pacific. He was the ship's Communication's Officer, decoding secret messages to and from McArthur and Admiral Nimitz.

He was privy to may secrets, including when the Boise would be back in the States and where it would be docked. Married to Jean McCowen just previously to going to sea, Bill and Jean devised a secret code to communicate, as all mail was censored. They referenced scripture verses to convey locations and dates when the ship would be in port, so they could meet.

- The Brewer Family