September 12, 2014 at 1:29 p.m.
Rhinelander man travels to Washington D.C. as part of latest Never Forgotten Honor Flight
Rhinelander man travels to Washington D.C. as part of latest Never Forgotten Honor Flight
Spencer's trip was organized as a part of the Never Forgotten Honor Flight program in recognition of his military service in the 1940s.
By this point, there have many flights, each shuttling veterans of World War II to the nation's capitol for a look at the memorial dedicated to their service, but Spencer said it's as special now as it's ever been.
"This was the 17th time they've had this program," he said. "You can fill out an application for it and you become a part of it. There were about 90 of us that went through it this year and most of us were World War II vets. They started to come through with other forms of service after that.
"I'd never been to Washington D.C. before so everything was new to me and everything was very impressive. I've heard about it all over the years. I've seen pictures on the news, but seeing it in person really made me think of the magnificence of our country."
Spencer's own service never took him overseas. Instead, he was busy training the next wave of airmen.
"I was in the Air Corp in those days," he said. "It later became the U.S. Air Force instead. I went into the aviation cadets. After basic training, I spent most of my time in Texas at different air bases down there, doing different things. I ended up as a bombardier, just as the war was ending."
Spencer hadn't finished his service yet though and found himself bouncing from spot to spot, looking to help the military welcome back the sudden influx of returning soldiers from overseas.
"The war finished and I was doing odds and ends until they made me a processing officer," he said. "All the vets that had enough time were coming home to get out of the service. There were about six of us who were processing officers and the rest of them were about to get out. I stuck with it though, but the job I had though required you to be a captain. Because the war was over though, my captaincy was turned down because everyone was coming home."
Spencer's training as a bombardier paid off though, at least for a little while, and he was back on the same kind of airbases he had served on, although this time in a more educational role.
"I went through bombardier school though," he said. "When the war ended they made me head of the bombardier training school. I was training future bombardiers. They soon decided that they weren't going to do that anymore, so that was about the extent of my service."
The Never Forgotten Honor Flight and the trip to Washington D.C. served as a proper thank you for Spencer's years of service. He said he enjoyed many of the stops along the tour. He found the Korean War Memorial especially striking and, of course, was moved by the now 10-year-old World War II Memorial, but said his very favorite was the Lincoln Memorial, a long-time destination for tourists to the nation's capital.
What was most special to Spencer though was the outpouring of gratitude communicated to him along the way.
"We flew to Washington D.C. Monday morning and they had a big reception for us," he said. "They gave us jackets so everywhere we went, people would know why we were there. Everything was provided for us. We didn't have to pay for any of our expenses and they even covered the flights. It's a magnificent review of your service. I received a number of letters from the governor and congressman honoring me for being called to take part in that conflict. I was going through the letters yesterday."
The most important letters, and certainly the stack with the greatest volume, weren't from any kind of public official or representative though. Instead, they came from a group of people much closer to his heart.
"I have a big family," Spencer said. "I had eight kids and have 26 grandchildren. Whoever took care of this contacted my entire family and asked them to write to us. We had a mail call when we were flying over there. When they got to me, they said it was the biggest package they had because of how many letters they had from my family."
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
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