His nickname was “Spence” Airman First Class. He was from one of the Northern States. He was 18 and his future wife was a senior in high school.
He didn’t make to war, but he served his country and gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Spencer and I were in the same BMTS and I was assigned to help him meet physical requirements, in particular making the 1.5 mile under the required time.
We bunked next to each other and trained after duty hours every day. He made great progress in our sessions and we were both confident that the running portion PT was going to be a breeze.
It was the last week of basic training and the day for the final run came. We were required to run in formation for the first .5 miles. Our plan was to break formation at the 1/2 mile mark and find each other and finish together.
Formation was arranged by height and Spence was in the front and I was in the rear. Around a quarter-mile, I saw Spencer fall out of formation and step to the side. I caught his eye and give him an encouraging shout as he fell behind. I was aware that he had dropped to one knee and I saw an assistant MTI get to him and he stood and moved to the MTI. I saw him fall as I ran and watch as the MTI preformed CPR, however Spence was gone.
Today, 35 years later, I remember Spencer and his determination and sacrifice.
Thanks for reading.
Tim
