Sep 10, 2005 By Jenny Susa 5 min read

A local veteran finally received the Bronze star, awarded for combat heroism and meritorious service, that he earned during the Vietnam War nearly 38 years later. Robert Spencer of Cardale said that it was a mix-up with records that kept him from receiving the honor he was commended for so long ago.

“When I came out of Vietnam they said it wasn’t in my records,” said Spencer. “I have four nieces, all graduates of Uniontown High School, who were in the military for 20 years. One, Rhonda Sloan, is still on active duty and she also received a Bronze Star. I went to Fort Bragg for her presentation and she asked me again if I ever received mine.”

Spencer said when he told his niece that he had never gotten his medal, she put him in touch with a Virginia woman who worked to get soldiers the medals they never received.

“I corresponded with her and then went to the Preston County Journal office in West Virginia and spent three hours looking through old newspapers,” said Spencer. “I found it was in the paper when I got my commendation, along with all of my promotions from private (up to sergeant).”

Spencer said it turned out that there were three men by the name of Robert Spencer in Vietnam and his records were confused with the records of one of those men.

Spencer said although he did not receive the medal he had earned during battle, receiving it was never his top priority after leaving Vietnam.

“I was a platoon sergeant in Vietnam, so I was right in the mix of it,” said Spencer. “I was in with my nephew, Dean Calvin, who was 18 years old and he was killed there. We never found his body and we buried an empty coffin. We are trying to get his dog tags to bury in the coffin to get some closure on that.”

Spencer said he also lost his best friend, James Bush, with whom he was “closer than a brother,” and so even though he didn’t get his Bronze Star, he just wanted to “leave it alone.”

Spencer said that his family and others insisted that the honor he had earned during his service should be made known, and when his niece received the same honor, it pushed him to pursue the medal one last time.

“After seeing the articles about the war, it really took me back to it and I cried like a baby for a few days,” said Spencer, also recalling a trip to Washington, D.C., with his wife a few years ago. “We were supposed to stay for the weekend, but first we visited the wall with all the veterans’ names on it who died in the war. I knew some of the names that would be there but I didn’t want them to be there. There is just something about that wall and by the time I got to the end of it we got back in the car and went home. We didn’t stay the weekend and I’ve never been back there again.”

Spencer said that looking up old information about the war had a similar effect on him, but this time he let his feelings out after keeping them to himself for many years.

“Now, I take life as it comes and it is easier to talk about this,” said Spencer. “I’m happy go lucky now and I just want to help other guys with it.”

Spencer said he is working to make sure that all veterans in the area are receiving appropriate medical care by helping them to get into the new health care system for veterans in Uniontown.

Spencer said he was happy to finally get the medal after so many years.

“It brought tears to my eyes again when I got it,” said Spencer. “But the army sent me a really nice citation. I am 100 percent Vietnam veteran and all I want to do now is help other veterans.”

A letter from the army announcing that Spencer had been recommended for the Bronze Star said that his “exceptionally high state of mental and physical stamina and ability to stand fatigue, distress and hardship was a highly influential factor in the morale and production of his unit.”

It said that Spencer was “continually subjected to hostile fire and enemy mortar attacks in excess of 1,330 incoming rounds on the Dong Tam base, and in spite of this, he consistently displayed his ability to meet the danger with calmness and firmness. His conduct and his dedication to duty are an example to subordinates and superiors alike and brings credit upon himself, his unit, and the Untied States Army.”

During Spencer’s service in Vietnam, he was responsible for repairing tanks, trucks, jeeps, other vehicles, as well as radios, phones and other equipment. He was in charge of the maintenance department, where he was promoted to sergeant, and he was awarded the Bronze Star on Jan. 31, 1968.