Milwaukee Veteran Scores High in Local Creative Arts Contest

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Joseph S. Spence Sr.

Joseph S. Spence Sr.

Last month Joseph S. Spence Sr., took three prizes in the Local Veterans 2021 Creative Arts Competition, held at Zablocki Veterans Hospital. His non-rhyming poem, “Paradise My Sweetest Love,” won third place in the poetry category. His short story, “Women’s Professional Struggle,” won second place in the fictional category. And an essay based on his tour of duty in the Middle East, “Erythra Thalassa (Red Sea),” took first place in the non-fictional category. He believes it was the first time an African American factored into all three categories of the Zablocki Creative Arts Competition.

I asked him some questions about himself and his work.

Are you a life-long Milwaukee resident? 

I came to Milwaukee with an assignment as an assistant professor of military science to Marquette University with the United States Army. I retired from the U.S. Army and stayed in Wisconsin. I was hooked by the Wisconsin State Fair, Summer Fests, River Walk, the beautiful autumn seasons and leaves, Door County, Baraboo, Wisconsin Dells, etc. As a result, I stayed here instead of returning to New York. Milwaukee is now my home, with no intentions of leaving.

Tell me a little about your background.

I was born in St. Andrews, Jamaica, West Indies. I played soccer, cricket, volleyball and participated in track and field events. My most tremendous success was winning the mile race against other schools with a record of 4.9 minutes. I emigrated to Brooklyn, New York, and lived with my elder brother, a practicing certified public accountant. While there, I completed a course in bookkeeping and accounting at Midtown Business College. Upon completing the course, I joined the U.S. Army in 1972, fulfilling my dreams as a special operations soldier, and retired in 1997 as a field grade officer and commander.

What drew you to military service? 

My desire since high school was to be a special operations soldier. Therefore, I read many comic books and novels of Sgt. York, commandos, special military operations and others. They were the cream of the crop in mission accomplishment, and I set my mind in that direction. I spoke with several recruiting stations in New York about the possibility. They provided me with an overwhelming amount of information regarding how I should proceed. I followed their guidance.

Next, I completed basic training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey. Again, I expressed my desire to the commander to be in special operations. I was promoted to the next highest rank upon completion of basic training. Next, I attended radio operation school also at Ft. Dix. I was placed on an advanced track for morse code communication during the course progression because I understood the codes. I graduated two weeks ahead of the class and was promoted to the next rank. My next military school was Airborne Training at Ft. Benning, Georgia. After that, I was assigned to Company B, 75th Airborne Ranger Infantry, Ft. Carson, Colorado. It took me less than six months to achieve my goal of being a special operations soldier in the United States Army. My dream became a reality.

Were you in the Army Reserve or the regular Army?  

During a break in service, I served with the 12th Special Force Group, Green Beret in Pueblo, Colorado, a National Guard unit, to complete a degree in police science at El Paso, Community College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, now renamed Pikes Peak College.

I re-entered the regular army during the process, was assigned to Ft. Polk, Louisiana, for infantry qualification training, and received an assignment to the 101st Airborne Division 1/502, First Strike Battalion Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, where I met Colin Powell. He was my brigade commander, and I was a long-range infantry scout. He became my military mentor and advised me to become a commissioned officer, which I completed as he requested.

How did this lead to a military science professorship at the Marquette ROTC?

While serving with the 101st Airborne Division, I met Colonel Colin Powell, my brigade commander. He inspired me to become a commissioned officer. After that, I left the 101st Airborne Division for Howard University, Washington DC, where I completed ROTC training. While there, I served as the special assistant to the professor of military science and second in command of the ROTC Cadets.  I received the distinguished military graduate and daughters of American revolution awards, an airborne infantry officer commission, and an assignment to the famed 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. My experience of working with ROTC units led me to an assistant professor of military science position with the United States Army ROTC Cadets at Marquette University. 

Is writing something that has always interested you? 

My interests were math and accounting. My siblings specialized in such during high school; however, my mother taught me how to read, write, recite, and interpret poetry while in high school, and I have been doing it since.

My first assignment as a first lieutenant was with the 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, enhanced the process. The first battalion commander I had, Lieutenant Colonel Redmon, was a poet. In addition, the battalion supply officer was also a poet. All three of us wrote and exchanged poems during my tour with the 82nd Airborne Division. I also performed many poetry recitals for the troops and their family members at special events wherever I was assigned worldwide. 

How did you become a writer?

While in the military, writing was the most critical function next to command and leadership. I completed many tasks with writing standard operating procedures, military manuals, operation orders, contingency plans, movement operation plans, after-action reports, investigation reports, articles for the military times and magazines, etc. After a while, it was an automatic function.

I also wrote various love poems for many soldiers, which they mailed home to their girlfriends, sprinkled with nice cologne. The process kept them happy, increased their communication skills, and strengthened their relationship. They nicknamed me “Apollo,” the Greek mythological god of poetry and music.

Describe the three pieces of writing that were acknowledged in the Creative Arts Competition.

The first submission, which won third place in the poetry genre, is “Paradise My Sweetest Love.” This poem addresses a lover who desires his girlfriend to leave with him to the garden of paradise, an enchanting place where no humans have ever been. There they will experience the love of life, melodies beyond their imagination, and an inspiring and unique quality of life many only dreamed of having. It portrays stimulating images of stimulating enchantment for two lovers and the desire of always being together.

The second, which won second place in the non-military fiction genre, is an article containing not more than eight hundred and fifty words, titled “Women Professional Struggles.” The narration revolves around a mother and her son. His mother graduated from a prestigious university with the highest degree in engineering and could not find a suitable position in a male-dominated society. As a result, they left Earth for the planet “Kryptonia,” where only individuals with advanced thinking can work and reside. After retiring, his mother decided to visit Earth to see their relatives. 

The saga began when they landed at the shuttle station in New York, which used to be LaGuardia Airport, on Superbowl Sunday. The language, place, and behavior of earthlings were foreign to him, which required his mother to defamiliarize him with Kryptonia and assimilate with Earth. It was agonizing to him; however, he completed the process and created a new linguist pattern by integrating the lifestyles and languages from Earth and Kryptonia. He thanked his mother for her diligence and advice he received.

The third piece, which won first place, is a nonfiction military article regarding my military service in Israel and Egypt. Our assignment was to enforce the Camp David Peace Accord between the United States of America President Jimmy Carter, Israel Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat during 1982. The article is written primarily about the Red Sea and its historical perspective. It proliferates the historical life of the Red Sea, individuals it helped, such as: Moses and the Children of Israel, King Darius of Persia, Alexander the Great, the obnoxious Augustus Bonaparte of Rome, who claimed to have captured the Red Sea, and others. It depicts a relationship developed with the Red Sea and a desire to revisit and have an enjoyable vacation instead of a successful military tour of duty.