Raymond N. Spencer Jr., 23

Army, Private 1st Class

Based: Ft. Bliss, Texas

2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: June 21, 2007

Baghdad (southwest part), Iraq

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: Carmichael

Burial: Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, N.Y.

The last time Spencer was home, his mother decorated different rooms in the house for Halloween, Christmas and Thanksgiving, wanting to celebrate in advance the holidays he would miss while deployed. Spencer hoped to one day become a firefighter.

Shane M. Stinson, 06/23/2007

Stephen J. Wilson, 06/20/2007

Six memories of Raymond N. Spencer Jr.

“

This is really great that you have this here. Too bad it took me this long to find it.

I can't believe it has been almost four years. Ray and I where roomates at prep school in Canada. We had a lot of good times and memories playing hockey up in Banff, Alberta. Ray and I often talked about the military and how cool it would be to join. As the years passed, little did we know that we both had enlisted in the Army. Ray enlisted as an Infantryman, I enlisted as a Medic.

After finishing my training I was sent to South Korea. I found Ray on MySpace and he said he was at Fort Bliss getting ready for deployment. We exchanged messages as often as we could since he was busy mobolizing.

It was heartbreaking news when I got a message from somone in his family that he had been killed.

After my time in Korea I too was sent to Fort Bliss. I made frequent visits to the memorial on post where he and others who had died from 4-1 have their pictures hung and left flowers in his memory in 08 and 09.

God bless you Ray. We all miss you.

” — B. Whalen, June 16, 2011 at 5:27 p.m.

“

Ray was in my Bradley fighting vehicle when we were hit. We were all stuned. The electronics went down and we could not lower the ramp. The troop door was also locked. My Gunner Tim Guichard slid through a small opening to get to Ray and Rojas. Tim carried both of them to the medivac Bradley. The Platoon Sgt SFC Leon and his crew raced the injured back to base. In the mean time 9 of us were left in place in a hell of a fire fight. I remeber during the fight praying for Ray" God please send him home" I got the feeling I was answerd and I fought on. (When we were hit I lost a part of a finger on my shooting hand). When I was evaced Andrew Fix was driving the hummer with Anthony Dread who was shot in the leg during the fire fight and Chris Hill Gunning. Our escort left us we were nearly hit by another IED. Later we made it back to base and Dread and I were sent to the green zone. After my surgery I started looking for Ray. I could not find Him. Then I ran into my nurse and the look in her face told me the bad news. I was mad. Mad at God. He said he was sending Ray home. I later realized God ment He sent Ray to the Big House. Ray had a smile that brought calm even in a combat zone. Ray will never be forgotten. I miss you my brother in arms. I still pray for the Spencer family. I will trek to Long Island befor my end to see Ray one more time.

Leon Hood
Seward AK

” — SSG Leon Hood (Ret), November 15, 2011 at 4:21 a.m.

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Sources: Times research, Defense Department, iCasualties.org

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Raymond N. Spencer Jr., 23

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Six memories of Raymond N. Spencer Jr.

Share a memory of Raymond