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“I deliberately did not read anything about the Vietnam War because I felt the politics of the war eclipsed what happened to the veterans. The politics were irrelevant to what this memorial was.”

~ Maya Lin; as a 21-year-old student at Yale, her design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was chosen. She received a B in the class for her design.

Jimmie W. Spencer

Command Sergeant Major (CSM), US Army (Retired); Consultant, The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration

CSM Jimmie W. Spencer, a native of Mobile, Alabama, enlisted in the U.S. Army in December 1961. The following month, he began his military career at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. During his thirty-two years of active military service, CSM Jimmie W. Spencer has had a variety of assignments with conventional forces, Special Forces and Ranger Units. CSM Spencer retired from the United States Army in August of 1993 to assume the position of Director of Noncommissioned Officer & Soldier programs with The Association of the United States Army (AUSA). He retired from AUSA in May of 2013. He currently serves as a Consultant with the Department of Defense commemoration for the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commission and is a Senior Fellow with AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare. CSM Spencer is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Army Historical Foundation, the Association of Special Operations Professionals, and the Airborne & Special Operation Museum. He serves as the Co-Chair of the North Carolina Army Retiree Committee and Chairperson of the North Carolina Hall of Firsts. He is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Armed Forces Retirement Home Foundation, the Armed Forces Services Corporation, and the Army Air Force Mutual Aid Association. He frequently serves as a senior mentor for the Pre-Command/Command Sergeants Major Designee course held at the Center for Army Leadership, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. CSM Spencer is married to the former Susan Turgeon. They have two children, Melissa and Michelle, and five grandchildren: Spencer, Polly, Christian, Addicus, and Nora.

Assignments

• 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, KY
• 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) (Airborne) Republic of Vietnam
• 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC
• 3rd and 7th Special Forces Groups (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, NC
• Military Advisory Command, Republic of Vietnam
• Instructor, Infantry AIT, FT Polk, LA
• Special Forces A Detachment with the Berlin Brigade - Team Sergeant
• Senior ROTC instructor, Wofford Collage, Spartanburg, South Carolina
• 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, WA - First Sergeant

As Command Sergeant Major

• Florida Ranger Camp, Elgin Air Force Base, FL
• 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Devens, MA
• 2nd Engineer Group, Yongsan, Korea
• 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Casey, Korea
• Combined Field Army (ROK/U.S.), Uijongbu, Korea
• S. Total Army Personnel Command, Alexandria, VA
• S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, NC

Education

CSM Spencer holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of the State of New York. In 1968, he completed Special Forces Training at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School. His other military education courses include the Infantry advance course, jump master, Advanced SCUBA, and Jungle Operations Training Courses. He is a 1980 graduate of the Sergeants Major Academy. CSM Spencer is a graduate of both the U.S. Army and Republic of Korea Ranger Schools and the Canadian Airborne School.

Awards and Decorations include

• Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster
• Bronze Star Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster
• Purple Heart Medal
• Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters
• Army Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster1
• Air Medal
• Vietnam Honor Medal
• Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm
• Combat and Expert Infantryman, Master Parachutist, SCUBA, Pathfinder, and Jungle Expert badges
• Ranger and Special Forces Tabs
• Combat and Expert Infantryman, Master Parachutist, SCUBA, Pathfinder, and Jungle Expert badges
• Ranger and Special Forces Tabs
• Canadian, Spanish, Ecuadorian and Republic of Korea Parachutist badges

Honors

• The National Infantry Association Order of Saint Maurice in the Rank of Primicerius
• Inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame (2004)
• Infantry Doughboy Award recipient (2009)
• Inducted into the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy Hall of Honor (2010)
• Special Operations (Old & Bold) Mountain Man Award (2015)
• The Association of the United States Army’s Sergeant Major of the Army William Bainbridge Distinguished Service Award (2016)

Affiliations

CSM Spencer is a life member of the following associations: The Association of the United States Army, the Enlisted Association of the National Guard, the Army Historical Foundation, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Association (VFW), the National Infantry Association, the Combat Infantryman Association, the Special Forces Association, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Special Operations Centurion Club, The Vietnam Veterans of America, 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Infantry Division, the Association of Special Operations Professionals, the 82nd and 101st Airborne Division associations and Ranger Regiment Association and The American Legion.

Additionally, CSM Spencer is a life member and past National President of the U.S. Army Ranger Association.

Robert B. Rogers

Chief Warrant Officer, US Army

Bob Rogers was born at Norwalk Hospital and spent his early years in Westport, CT.  He graduated from the Central Catholic High School (renamed All Saints School).  Upon graduation, he attended the University of Connecticut where he received his notice of induction due to excessive partying on campus.  His basic training was received at Fort Polk, Louisiana.  In order to avoid slogging through the jungle and rice patties, he applied for and was accepted to the Army’s primary rotary wing flight school in Mineral Wells, Texas.  He then completed advanced flight instruction at Hunter Stewart Army Base in Savannah, Georgia.  Bob was given a 30-day leave before departing for his assignment in Viet Nam.

In Vietnam, he was assigned to the Seventh Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry located in the central highlands where his unit conducted search and destroy missions for the 4th Infantry Division.  At the end of his first tour, Bob extended his stay in Vietnam an additional six months where he was assigned to the 201st Aviation Company.  This was a VIP Unit which served high-ranking military personnel as well as USO troops (girls) to various military installations.  His most memorable passenger was Creighton Abrams.

Awards

• Distinguished Service Cross

Membership

• Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association

Upon DEROS from the Army (12/25/70), Bob was accepted back to the University of Connecticut where he received his Bachelor of Science degree and has had his own tree care company for 45 years.