Bob Asmussen: For Champaign native Nelson, military service is in the blood

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Spencer Nelson wears his feelings about his family's U.S. military history on his sleeve. Literally.

The Champaign native is one proud veteran — with the ink to prove it.

On Nelson's right arm, he has a tattoo depicting the dog tags of his late grandfathers, who both served in World War II. And his own dog tags from a two-year stint in the Army.

His mom's father, Charles Rose, was in the Navy. His dad's father, William "Bill" Nelson, was in the Army.

Bill passed away when Spencer was in the Army. Bill's time during the war was spent in the Philippines.

"He couldn't have been a prouder grandfather of me," Nelson said.

Nelson took leave from the military to attend his grandfather's funeral. During the service, he remembers saluting in full military dress, tears streaming down his face and those of the audience members as well.

Charles Rose was an air gunner.

"I was very, very close to my grandpa Charlie" Nelson said.

There is another tattoo on the way. This summer, Nelson will add the dog tags of his son Tanner, who is currently serving in the Army and plans to make a career of it.

While waiting to get the tattoo, Nelson wears one of Tanner's actual dog tags.

"You're talking about a proud dad," Nelson said.

When Tanner was 24, he texted Nelson one night with an announcement.

"'I want to follow your footsteps and try the military,'" Nelson remembers Tanner writing. "We were at the recruiter the next morning."

Tanner had been working the bar and restaurant scene in downtown Champaign. At the time, college was not for Tanner, who had the brains to go that direction but not the desire.

"He is thriving in the military," Nelson said.

Tanner, who joined the Army in 2020, just re-enlisted for another six years.

He has been stationed the entire time in Vicenza, Italy. With his Italian girlfriend, Tanner has visited historic places in the country and in the rest of Europe.

Nelson and his wife Kenber spent their anniversary at the Colosseum in Rome with Tanner.

Tanner has at least another 18 months in Italy.

What are his duties?

"Satellite and map imagery analysis," Nelson said

Tanner is taking college courses and wants to transition into becoming an officer.

Tanner is one of Nelson's three children. Daughter Alexis, 30, lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., where she works with children on the spectrum. Nelson's younger son Tate is 9.

The right option

Unlike his son, Nelson realized the military would not be his career.

But the military helped him move forward and taught him lessons that have lasted a lifetime.

"I knew from the time I was a young child that I was going in the military," Nelson said. "I thought the military was the coolest thing."

There was no changing his mind.

Nelson was a senior at Centennial High School. He talked to his Army recruiter about making a two-year commitment. The plan was to go from the service directly to college.

The recruiter cautioned Nelson about the potential dangers he might face. He even mentioned the movie "Platoon," which was set during the Vietnam War.

Nelson graduated from Centennial in May 1987 and his enlistment date was Sept. 2.

His mom Rita had gone through the entire recruiting process with Nelson, offering unwavering support like parents do.

"She was calm," Nelson said.

Until .. "I came home the next day and she was on the couch bawling. 'My baby's going away.' It didn't hit her in the moment."

Nelson's dad Mike was very supportive.

"He couldn't have been prouder," Nelson said.

When he entered the Army, Nelson weighed 143 pounds. He ran cross-country at Centennial and was "tiny."

The Army changed that.

"It definitely beefed me up and it made me grow up in a hurry. It gave me some discipline I needed in my life for sure," Nelson said.

He went back to running later in life, completing more than 40 races marathon length or longer, including a 100-miler.

Tanner's experiences in the military have given Nelson a new appreciation for his own service.

"I'm proud of what I did now," Nelson said. "You have more pride when when you have a son doing it."

Nelson was the lone member of his immediate family to enter the military. His younger brother Mike is a local Realtor and brother Jake cuts hair and coaches basketball.

Thankfully, Nelson experienced a safe military tour. There were no major conflicts during his two years, Nelson spent his time at bases in Georgia (Fort Benning and Fort Stewart).

His commitment ended about a year before Operation Desert Storm.

"The unit I was in, the infantry was rapid deployed to the Middle East," Nelson said. "My unit definitely went."

By that time, Nelson had started at Illinois State University. There were concerns he might be called back, but it never happened.

A different path

After college (he earned his degree at Eastern Illinois University), Nelson went into the restaurant business.

He ran TGI Friday's in Champaign for 17 years. Nelson got to know Illini legend Lou Henson during his time at the restaurant. The coach visited the restaurant frequently.

"He was the classiest guy I ever met in my life," Nelson said.

Nelson then spent a decade traveling the country for EcoSure, working in food safety and quality control.

Nelson, 54, currently is working as a sales manager at Serra Champaign.

Besides his work at the car dealership. Nelson owns a bar/restaurant with Kenber in Chatsworth, 46 miles north of Champaign.

Rick & Anita's has been open more than three decades.

"We bought it three years ago at the end of COVID," Nelson said. "We bought it to keep it open. We wanted to be able to create jobs for people and we've done that. The community has been amazing to us."

Customers wear the businesses' T-shirts all over the world and post photos on social media.

The name is original to the place. Rick has passed away, survived by Anita. When Spencer and Kenber took on the business, they promised to keep the name.

"We wanted to honor them," Nelson said.

Business is good.

"We sell over 100 pizzas a week in a town of 1,200 people," Nelson said.

Spencer and Kenber commute from Chatsworth to their day jobs in Champaign-Urbana. She works for the Grant Schofield State Farm agency in Urbana.

When Nelson isn't selling cars or making pizza, you will find him rooting for his favorite sports team.

"I am diehard Los Angeles Chargers fan," he said. "I have the lightning bolt (tattoo) on my left arm."

Why the Chargers?

Growing up, Nelson liked the team's style. The Chargers were known for "Air (Don) Coryell, with Dan Fouts throwing the ball all over the place.

"I thought their uniforms were cool," Nelson said.

He's got a photo of himself in full uniform at young age.

He is happy with the new coach, Jim Harbaugh.

"I could not be more excited," Nelson said.