Junior James Spurrier
Born December 14, 1922(1922-12-14)
Russell County, Kentucky[1]
Died February 25, 1984(1984-02-25) (aged 61)
Tennessee
Place of burial Mountain Home National Cemetery, Johnson City, Tennessee
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Rank Staff Sergeant
Unit 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Cross
Junior James Spurrier, born James I. Spurrier, Jr., was a United States Army soldier who received America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
James I. Spurrier, Jr. was born on December 14, 1922, in Russell County, Kentucky[1]. In September 1940, he enlisted in the Army. Spurrier filled his name in the wrong blanks, so he became "Junior J. Spurrier" to the Army. Near Lay St. Christopher, France, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross. He had spearheaded an assault on a stubbornly defended hill position. On a tank destroyer, he used a .50-caliber machine gun to kill over 12 Germans and captured 22 others. He climbed down to personally blow up bunkers with rifle fire and grenades.
On November 13, 1944, while serving as a Staff Sergeant with Company G, 134th Infantry, 35th Infantry Division, Spurrier fought Germans in Achain, Moselle, France. Repeatedly, Spurrier wandered into the command post with prisoners, replenished his ammo, then slipped out the door. Junior J. Spurrier earned the Medal of Honor for nearly single-handedly capturing the village of Achain that day. He received the Medal of Honor on March 6, 1945 from Lt. Gen. William Hood Simpson.
Spurrier had a very turbulent life after the war. He had a severe problem with alcohol and served two jail sentences.
He is buried in Mountain Home National Cemetery, Johnson City, Tennessee.
Staff Sergeant Spurrier's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy at Achain, France, on 13 November 1944. At 2 p.m., Company G attacked the village of Achain from the east. S/Sgt. Spurrier armed with a BAR passed around the village and advanced alone. Attacking from the west, he immediately killed 3 Germans. From this time until dark, S/Sgt. Spurrier, using at different times his BAR and Ml rifle, American and German rocket launchers, a German automatic pistol, and handgrenades, continued his solitary attack against the enemy regardless of all types of small-arms and automatic-weapons fire. As a result of his heroic actions he killed an officer and 24 enlisted men and captured 2 officers and 2 enlisted men. His valor has shed fresh honor on the U.S. Armed Forces.
You may see more on him, including a photo of the award:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...r&GRid=7700965
His CMOH, missing for around 65 years came back to his family today, December 3, 2011.
You may see more about it at these links.
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=455616
http://bdtonline.com/local/x91001360...dals-come-home
As usual Brent Casey, Woody's grandson, supplied me with this information.
The account of the return, as shown in the last link above is:
R.L. Given of the Marine Corps League (right) is shown here formally presenting Staff Sgt. Junior Spurrier’s Congressional Medal of Honor, Bronze Star and Combat Infantry Medal to Spurrier’s sisters, Lee (Spurrier) Snead (left) and Hope (Spurrier) Mills Friday at the Those Who Served War Museum in Princeton.
Photos by Mel Grubb
"Spurrier’s medals come home
By BILL ARCHER
Bluefield Daily Telegraph The Bluefield Daily Telegraph Sat Dec 03, 2011, 05:01 AM EST
BLUEFIELD —
The Mercer County War Memorial Building in Princeton was filled to capacity with emotion as family members of Staff Sgt. James “Junior” Spurrier welcomed home the Congressional Medal of Honor, a Bronze Star and a Combat Infantry Medal that he received during World War II, but had been missing for 65 or more years.
“I thought they were lost forever,” Lee Snead, Spurrier’s sister said. Snead lives in eastern Tennessee not far from the Mountain Home National Cemetery in Johnson City, Tenn., where her brother was buried after his death on Feb. 25, 1984. “Thank you all again,” Snead said. “And thank God that you are here.”
When R.L. Given of the Marine Corps League brought the medal to Snead and her sister, Hope Mills from Vienna, W.Va., Snead brought her right hand up to her forehead, then returned it to the small box that Craig Corkrean and Matt Allen had used to carry it from Granville to Mercer County.
“Tony Caridi often says that it’s a great day to be a Mountaineer, wherever you may be!” Bill Blankenship, secretary/treasurer of the For Those Who Served Museum said. Blankenship is a Vietnam War veteran. “Today, it’s a great day to be a Mercer Countian!”
Corkrean found Spurrier’s medals in a drawer of his late father’s safe when he was visiting his mother in White Sulphur Springs two weeks ago. “I called Matt (Allen) and told him I had found a Bronze Star and another medal that I had never seen before,” Corkrean said. “When I described it, Matt said it sounded to him like it might be a Medal of Honor, but I knew my father didn’t have one of those.”
Corkrean, chief of police of Granville, brought the medal home with him and showed it to Allen, a U.S. Army veteran who serves as a sergeant with the Granville PD. Allen identified it as a Medal of Honor, examined the back of it and saw it had been presented to Staff Sgt. James Junior Spurrier. Allen searched for Spurrier’s name on line and found a wealth of information at the For Those Who Served Museum in Princeton. In the meantime, Corkrean went on television to search for relatives of Spurrier.
“My phone hasn’t stopped ringing for a week,” Corkrean said. “It seems like everyone in the world has come to my office wanting to see the medal. I haven’t been able to get any work done. It has been unreal.”
“This has been a miracle!” Tony Whitlow, president of the museum board of directors said prior to the start of the ceremony. The second floor meeting room in the War Memorial Building was packed with people, with even more standing near the doorway, watching from the hallway and more still in the museum proper. “I don’t think my feet have touched the ground in the past week. It’s unbelievable.”
Whitlow, a Korean War veteran served as the master of ceremonies for the medal return service and Vernon Fields, also a Korean War veteran, gave the invocation. However, Fields also shared a personal reflection about seeing Spurrier during the Heroes’ Day parade in Bluefield on July 4, 1945 that honored the World War II soldier. “When Junior came back to Bluefield, he said: ‘Hello folks,’ and ‘Thanks a lot.’” Fields said, He looked in the direction of Snead who smiled and nodded that she recalled the moment as well.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you all here today,” Whitlow said. “This Memorial Building where we are gathered today is a hallowed place. It was dedicated many years ago to those who served. It is a building within whose walls the memories of heroes are kept alive and their memorabilia is enshrined for all time.
“We are here today to honor and remember a special man, a super hero whose exploits on the European battlefields of World War II will never be duplicated, and in fact, have no equal,” Whitlow said. “This person I speak of is Staff Sgt. Junior Spurrier, referred to in ‘The Stars and Stripes’ as a ‘One Man Army.’”
Whitlow recounted the specific actions that resulted in Spurrier’s decorations. In addition to the Medal of Honor and a Bronze Star, Spurrier received a Distinguished Service Cross, the French Croix de Guerre, two Purple Hearts battle stars, clusters and other decorations. Whitlow thanked Corkrean, Allen, Snead and Mills and asked all veterans attending the program to stand and salute Spurrier. “Thank you Sgt. Spurrier for the freedom we enjoy today,” Whitlow said. “Rest in peace, Sgt. Spurrier.”
Whitlow introduced J.R. Shuck who painted the portrait of Spurrier and General Dwight D. Eisenhower that serves as part of the Spurrier exhibit. Rebecca Bivens sang the National Anthem and Angie Whitlow Wilson sang “God Bless the USA” as Jeremiah Murphy, a Vietnam War veteran posted colors. Jim Rose, retired Veterans Affairs officer and Vietnam War veteran led the Pledge of Allegiance and Kenneth Hylton offered the benediction. Alena Caldwell, Spurrier’s former sister-in-law, spoke on behalf of the family of Spurrier’s former wife, Kathy Cox, and Kathy Esker spoke on behalf of her father, James Graff, past president of the 35th Infantry Division Association.
Hershel W. “Woody” Williams, the only living World War II Medal of Honor recipient from West Virginia, served as keynote speaker for the program. “This is a day of memories,” Williams said. “It is a very special day.”
Williams explained that since the American Civil War, 42 million individuals have served in the armed services, and of that number, only 3,461 have received the Medal of Honor. “Junior Spurrier was one of those very unusual individuals.” He said that today, there are only 85 living recipients of the Medal of Honor and only 14 recipients still living from World War II. “I am the last of the World War II recipients from West Virginia and the last from Iwo Jima.”
He said that he was sure that Spurrier would have thought what he thought when he received the Medal of Honor. “Why me?” he said. “Why was I that individual who survived when so many around me didn’t?” He speculated that the answer was simply that, “God wasn’t ready for us yet, and the Devil didn’t know what to do with me.”
Williams gave an emotional and heart-felt presentation on the “impact” that Spurrier had with his fellow soldiers as well as with his nation. After giving his remarks, Williams presented a recent book to the museum that contains stories of Medal of Honor recipients.
People gathered in fellowship after the ceremony and enjoyed refreshments prepared by Donna Blankenship, Libby Turner and Wanda Fowler. Whitlow placed Spurrier’s medals in a display case at the exhibit honoring the “One Man Army.”
Ron
Born December 14, 1922(1922-12-14)
Russell County, Kentucky[1]
Died February 25, 1984(1984-02-25) (aged 61)
Tennessee
Place of burial Mountain Home National Cemetery, Johnson City, Tennessee
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Rank Staff Sergeant
Unit 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Cross
Junior James Spurrier, born James I. Spurrier, Jr., was a United States Army soldier who received America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
James I. Spurrier, Jr. was born on December 14, 1922, in Russell County, Kentucky[1]. In September 1940, he enlisted in the Army. Spurrier filled his name in the wrong blanks, so he became "Junior J. Spurrier" to the Army. Near Lay St. Christopher, France, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross. He had spearheaded an assault on a stubbornly defended hill position. On a tank destroyer, he used a .50-caliber machine gun to kill over 12 Germans and captured 22 others. He climbed down to personally blow up bunkers with rifle fire and grenades.
On November 13, 1944, while serving as a Staff Sergeant with Company G, 134th Infantry, 35th Infantry Division, Spurrier fought Germans in Achain, Moselle, France. Repeatedly, Spurrier wandered into the command post with prisoners, replenished his ammo, then slipped out the door. Junior J. Spurrier earned the Medal of Honor for nearly single-handedly capturing the village of Achain that day. He received the Medal of Honor on March 6, 1945 from Lt. Gen. William Hood Simpson.
Spurrier had a very turbulent life after the war. He had a severe problem with alcohol and served two jail sentences.
He is buried in Mountain Home National Cemetery, Johnson City, Tennessee.
Staff Sergeant Spurrier's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy at Achain, France, on 13 November 1944. At 2 p.m., Company G attacked the village of Achain from the east. S/Sgt. Spurrier armed with a BAR passed around the village and advanced alone. Attacking from the west, he immediately killed 3 Germans. From this time until dark, S/Sgt. Spurrier, using at different times his BAR and Ml rifle, American and German rocket launchers, a German automatic pistol, and handgrenades, continued his solitary attack against the enemy regardless of all types of small-arms and automatic-weapons fire. As a result of his heroic actions he killed an officer and 24 enlisted men and captured 2 officers and 2 enlisted men. His valor has shed fresh honor on the U.S. Armed Forces.
You may see more on him, including a photo of the award:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...r&GRid=7700965
His CMOH, missing for around 65 years came back to his family today, December 3, 2011.
You may see more about it at these links.
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=455616
http://bdtonline.com/local/x91001360...dals-come-home
As usual Brent Casey, Woody's grandson, supplied me with this information.
The account of the return, as shown in the last link above is:
R.L. Given of the Marine Corps League (right) is shown here formally presenting Staff Sgt. Junior Spurrier’s Congressional Medal of Honor, Bronze Star and Combat Infantry Medal to Spurrier’s sisters, Lee (Spurrier) Snead (left) and Hope (Spurrier) Mills Friday at the Those Who Served War Museum in Princeton.
Photos by Mel Grubb
"Spurrier’s medals come home
By BILL ARCHER
Bluefield Daily Telegraph The Bluefield Daily Telegraph Sat Dec 03, 2011, 05:01 AM EST
BLUEFIELD —
The Mercer County War Memorial Building in Princeton was filled to capacity with emotion as family members of Staff Sgt. James “Junior” Spurrier welcomed home the Congressional Medal of Honor, a Bronze Star and a Combat Infantry Medal that he received during World War II, but had been missing for 65 or more years.
“I thought they were lost forever,” Lee Snead, Spurrier’s sister said. Snead lives in eastern Tennessee not far from the Mountain Home National Cemetery in Johnson City, Tenn., where her brother was buried after his death on Feb. 25, 1984. “Thank you all again,” Snead said. “And thank God that you are here.”
When R.L. Given of the Marine Corps League brought the medal to Snead and her sister, Hope Mills from Vienna, W.Va., Snead brought her right hand up to her forehead, then returned it to the small box that Craig Corkrean and Matt Allen had used to carry it from Granville to Mercer County.
“Tony Caridi often says that it’s a great day to be a Mountaineer, wherever you may be!” Bill Blankenship, secretary/treasurer of the For Those Who Served Museum said. Blankenship is a Vietnam War veteran. “Today, it’s a great day to be a Mercer Countian!”
Corkrean found Spurrier’s medals in a drawer of his late father’s safe when he was visiting his mother in White Sulphur Springs two weeks ago. “I called Matt (Allen) and told him I had found a Bronze Star and another medal that I had never seen before,” Corkrean said. “When I described it, Matt said it sounded to him like it might be a Medal of Honor, but I knew my father didn’t have one of those.”
Corkrean, chief of police of Granville, brought the medal home with him and showed it to Allen, a U.S. Army veteran who serves as a sergeant with the Granville PD. Allen identified it as a Medal of Honor, examined the back of it and saw it had been presented to Staff Sgt. James Junior Spurrier. Allen searched for Spurrier’s name on line and found a wealth of information at the For Those Who Served Museum in Princeton. In the meantime, Corkrean went on television to search for relatives of Spurrier.
“My phone hasn’t stopped ringing for a week,” Corkrean said. “It seems like everyone in the world has come to my office wanting to see the medal. I haven’t been able to get any work done. It has been unreal.”
“This has been a miracle!” Tony Whitlow, president of the museum board of directors said prior to the start of the ceremony. The second floor meeting room in the War Memorial Building was packed with people, with even more standing near the doorway, watching from the hallway and more still in the museum proper. “I don’t think my feet have touched the ground in the past week. It’s unbelievable.”
Whitlow, a Korean War veteran served as the master of ceremonies for the medal return service and Vernon Fields, also a Korean War veteran, gave the invocation. However, Fields also shared a personal reflection about seeing Spurrier during the Heroes’ Day parade in Bluefield on July 4, 1945 that honored the World War II soldier. “When Junior came back to Bluefield, he said: ‘Hello folks,’ and ‘Thanks a lot.’” Fields said, He looked in the direction of Snead who smiled and nodded that she recalled the moment as well.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you all here today,” Whitlow said. “This Memorial Building where we are gathered today is a hallowed place. It was dedicated many years ago to those who served. It is a building within whose walls the memories of heroes are kept alive and their memorabilia is enshrined for all time.
“We are here today to honor and remember a special man, a super hero whose exploits on the European battlefields of World War II will never be duplicated, and in fact, have no equal,” Whitlow said. “This person I speak of is Staff Sgt. Junior Spurrier, referred to in ‘The Stars and Stripes’ as a ‘One Man Army.’”
Whitlow recounted the specific actions that resulted in Spurrier’s decorations. In addition to the Medal of Honor and a Bronze Star, Spurrier received a Distinguished Service Cross, the French Croix de Guerre, two Purple Hearts battle stars, clusters and other decorations. Whitlow thanked Corkrean, Allen, Snead and Mills and asked all veterans attending the program to stand and salute Spurrier. “Thank you Sgt. Spurrier for the freedom we enjoy today,” Whitlow said. “Rest in peace, Sgt. Spurrier.”
Whitlow introduced J.R. Shuck who painted the portrait of Spurrier and General Dwight D. Eisenhower that serves as part of the Spurrier exhibit. Rebecca Bivens sang the National Anthem and Angie Whitlow Wilson sang “God Bless the USA” as Jeremiah Murphy, a Vietnam War veteran posted colors. Jim Rose, retired Veterans Affairs officer and Vietnam War veteran led the Pledge of Allegiance and Kenneth Hylton offered the benediction. Alena Caldwell, Spurrier’s former sister-in-law, spoke on behalf of the family of Spurrier’s former wife, Kathy Cox, and Kathy Esker spoke on behalf of her father, James Graff, past president of the 35th Infantry Division Association.
Hershel W. “Woody” Williams, the only living World War II Medal of Honor recipient from West Virginia, served as keynote speaker for the program. “This is a day of memories,” Williams said. “It is a very special day.”
Williams explained that since the American Civil War, 42 million individuals have served in the armed services, and of that number, only 3,461 have received the Medal of Honor. “Junior Spurrier was one of those very unusual individuals.” He said that today, there are only 85 living recipients of the Medal of Honor and only 14 recipients still living from World War II. “I am the last of the World War II recipients from West Virginia and the last from Iwo Jima.”
He said that he was sure that Spurrier would have thought what he thought when he received the Medal of Honor. “Why me?” he said. “Why was I that individual who survived when so many around me didn’t?” He speculated that the answer was simply that, “God wasn’t ready for us yet, and the Devil didn’t know what to do with me.”
Williams gave an emotional and heart-felt presentation on the “impact” that Spurrier had with his fellow soldiers as well as with his nation. After giving his remarks, Williams presented a recent book to the museum that contains stories of Medal of Honor recipients.
People gathered in fellowship after the ceremony and enjoyed refreshments prepared by Donna Blankenship, Libby Turner and Wanda Fowler. Whitlow placed Spurrier’s medals in a display case at the exhibit honoring the “One Man Army.”
Ron