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World War II
Black History ➔ Commemorative Button
Identifier:
2022.144.5Description:
This commemorative pinback button honors the 50th Anniversary of World War II. It has a dark blue background with an eagle surrounded by a white ring that reads "A Grateful Nation Remembers". Five white stars can be seen above the ring and below it reads "1941-1945 | World War II | 1991-1995". It belonged to Grand Rapids resident Russell Spencer who served in the 24th Infantry Regiment in the United States Army during World War II and the Korean War.Date:
1995Materials:
MetalDimensions:
1.5" h 1.5" w 0.25" dCurrent Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 3Source:
Gift of Doyle HayesRelated Entities:
Doyle Hayes (donor) Russell Spencer (used by)Sergeant Russell Spencer was born on August 6th, 1924 to George and Mary Spencer. He enlisted in the United States Army on September 24th, 1942 at the age of 15 after falsely stating he was 18. He was assigned to the 24th Infantry Regiment, a predominantly all-Black unit, and served during World War II until he was discharged on December 13th, 1945. He re-enlisted a day later and continued service during the Korean War until April 8th, 1955. After his service ended, Spencer spent much of his time at the Crispus Attucks Legion Post 59 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He passed away on October 30th, 2001, and is buried at Ft. Custer National Cemetary.
During his time of service, Spencer faced a great deal of discrimination but according to his family, it didn't bother him much. When he began his service, the 24th Infantry Regiment was a unit of enlisted Black soldiers until 1948 when President Truman ordered the desegregation of the military. In 1951, after performance issues crossing the Han River in 1950 and the order to desegregate regiments, the unit was deactivated. To Spencer, this action felt as though the military was denying the unit of its rich history and failing to recognize its contributions to the country for nearly 82 years. In 1995, the 24th Infantry Regiment was re-activated and Spencer was invited to the reflagging ceremony in Washington.