 Following Military Police Officer Basic Course and Advance training, he was assigned as the first active duty Provost Marshal since 1954 to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.He served as commander of the Military Police Detachment at Fort McCoy until summer 1977, when he was assigned to serve with the 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Casey in South Korea.Inspired by Father Emil Kapaun, an Army chaplain who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, Spencer was released from active duty in 1978 to pursue his studies for the priesthood.