Family gives scholarships for student vets
Spencer Duncan believed in service to one’s country; even after his death in uniform, his commitment to that belief endures.
As soon as he was eligible, Spencer joined the United States Army Reserve. On August 6, 2011, at the height of Operation Enduring Freedom, Duncan’s Chinook helicopter went down in Afghanistan, ending his life and those of 37 other U.S. troops and support personnel. Duncan, an Army Specialist from Olathe, Kan., was serving as a door gunner on the CH-47 helicopter when it was hit by rocket fire. It is considered the worst loss of U.S military life in a single incident during the Afghanistan campaign.
Duncan had landed a coveted spot in the 7 Battalion /158th Aviation Regiment as a Chinook repairer. He loved the big workhorse ‘copters and learned everything he could about them. He missed home and his loved ones and friends back in Kansas, but he believed he was doing what he was meant to do, and making a difference.
Spencer was one of Dale Duncan’s children, and they were all familiar with Dale’s daily refrain: “Make it count.” As Dale prepared to hang up the phone after talking with Spencer for the last time, Spencer said, “I know, Dad. Make it count.”
As the reality of Spencer’s death became clear, his parents, Dale and Megan Duncan, held firm to one desire: they did not want this terrible calamity to be the final chapter in their son’s brief life. They knew it could be a new beginning, a turning point for other young men and women. Out of that longing to make sense and find meaning in their son’s death, the Duncans started the Spencer C. Duncan Make It Count Project.
Because Spencer was so passionate about personal sacrifice and the price of freedom, his family invited others to get involved in the Make It Count Project. Together they support veterans and their families, and provide resources for agencies that work alongside veterans.
With revenue from the Make it Count 5K held each August, the Duncans have provided scholarships to directly benefit the lives of other servicemen and women who are in school. Recently, they gave Eric Grospitch, dean of students at the University of Missouri- Kansas City, a check for $7,500. Starting in the Fall 2014 semester, UMKC student veterans can use these funds for textbook purchases. Make It Count Project funds come from personal donations, corporate gifts and the entry fees and pledges of runners taking part in the race.
“We are showing honor for the brave men and women who have given and who continue to give of themselves,” Dale Duncan said. “After all, the single greatest resource of this country is the people who live here and believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
For more information about Spencer Duncan or the Make it Count organization, go to http://www.makeitcounttoday.org/.