James Spencer grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, where he attended public schools from 1906 to 1913, before he entered LaSalle Academy there. In 1917 he began studies at Saint Charles College in Catonsville, and graduated in 1919. He then entered Saint Mary’s Seminary and was transferred in 1921 to the Sulpician Seminary in Washington, D. C., and was ordained a Catholic priest of the Sulpician Order in June 1925. For the next two years he taught at Saint Joseph College in San Francisco, California, and in 1927 returned to teach at Saint Charles College in Catonsville. From 1928 to 1931 he did graduate work in psychology at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and from 1935 to 1945 was a professor of psychology and education at St. Mary’s Seminary. He entered military service in 1945 and was commissioned an Army chaplain, serving through the Korean war, and then was medically retired in 1955.
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Awards Received
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Silver Star
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Silver Star
Service:
United States ArmyRank:
Captain (Chaplain’s Corps)Batallion:
1st BattalionRegiment:
24th Infantry RegimentDivision:
25th Infantry DivisionAction Date:
November 26 – 27, 1950
Headquarters, 25th Infantry Division, General Orders No. 183 (March 31, 1951)The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain (Chaplain’s Corps) James Paul Spencer (ASN: 0-931936), United States Army, for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving as a Chaplain with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, in action in the vicinity of Ipsok, Korea, on the night of 26 – 27 November 1950. The unit which Chaplain Spencer served was under heavy hostile attack. Although exposed to machine gun, mortar, and artillery fire, he remained at the battalion aid station to administer to the physical and spiritual needs of the wounded. When the area was threatened with direct enemy ground attack, he advanced to the defensive positions and moved among the men with words of encouragement until the enemy was repulsed. Chaplain Spencer’s calm demeanor, determined spirit, and selfless devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.