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Remember...Dean Calvin Spencer III
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| Dean Calvin Spencer III was born October 3, 1947, in Gypsy, Harrison County, West Virginia, to Dean Calvin Spencer Jr. and Wanda Lee Miles Spencer. According to the Morgantown City Directory for 1954, Dean Jr. was a plasterer. The only Federal Census enumeration in which Dean III appears is 1950, and no records of siblings could be found in researching his story. We do know he grew up in Monongalia County, where he attended Morgantown High School. A photo of the Morgantown junior varsity basketball team in the 1963 high school yearbook shows Dean in the back row of the 12-member squad. His graduation date would have been 1965. |  |
In the thick of the Vietnam War, with the draft in effect, it could be assumed that abled-bodied young men would be called on to serve. Dean III entered active duty in the U.S. Army on August 23, 1967. He was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Founded in 1901, the 12th Cavalry Regiment has a long and illustrious history of service. This history is carefully traced in the 1st Cavalry Division's website, but, unfortunately, the period in which Dean lost his life is not detailed. However, we do learn that his fellow West Virginian, Staff Sergeant Jimmy G. Stewart, a Medal of Honor recipient who lost his life in 1966, was also a distinguished member of the 12th Cavalry Regiment. (William H. Boudreau, "12th Cavalry Regiment," 1st Cavalry Regiment website, accessed 29 August 2025, https://1cda.org/history/history-12cav/.)
By 1968, Specialist Fourth Class Spencer, now a rifleman, had been deployed to Vietnam. His unit was participating in a combat operation in Hue City, Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam. On June 7, Company D was crossing the Rao Trang River. After Sp4 Spencer crossed the river, someone reported his canteen had become unhooked from his gear and was floating downstream. Dean jumped into the water and began swimming toward the canteen. Caught in a fast-moving current, he floundered, and another soldier, Staff Sergeant Eddie Terry, attempted to rescue him. It should be noted that the river was flanked by heavy jungle growth; also, the Rao Trang was quite muddy. Thus, visibility in the area was immensely hindered. Both men drowned. Terry's body was recovered four days later, but, as of this writing, Spencer continues to be listed as missing. (This account is summarized from Sp4 Dean Calvin Spencer III's Find A Grave posting [Memorial No. 12486020].)
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The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues in its quest to locate his remains so they might be returned to the States. Sp4 Dean Calvin Spencer III is memorialized at the Courts of the Missing, Honolulu Memorial (National Cemetery of the Pacific). His father died just two years later, and Dean's name is carved on the same headstone as his father, located in East Oak Grove Cemetery, Morgantown, although, for Dean, this headstone is a cenotaph. Additionally, a memorial at Morgantown High School honors those graduates who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. |
The HonorStates.org website notes that Dean, a Purple Heart recipient, was also eligible to receive the following awards or commendations: the Combat Infantry Badge, the Marksmanship Badge, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Army Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnam Gallantry Cross.
Article prepared by Patricia Richards McClure
September 2025
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
