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<p>DALLAS &#8212; For Kenneth Spencer, an eagle is more than a majestic bird.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s America,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I love my flags, and I love my eagles.&#8221;</p><p>Spencer, a U.S. Army veteran who turned 80 last month, has decorated his front lawn in Dallas with a large concrete statue of a bald eagle &#8212; so heavy &#8220;it took four guys to help me put it here&#8221; &#8212; and set it off with a backdrop of red, white and blue bunting.</p><p>He flies a large flag on the front of his house, and lines his sidewalk with about 10 smaller ones that he replaces with fresh flags every Independence Day.</p><p>More people should be proud to display their patriotism this way, he said. &#8220;You&#8217;d better believe it.&#8221;</p><p>Evidence of Spencer&#8217;s affection for eagles crops up on the back of his T-shirt, where the image of an eagle soars over the words &#8220;Freedom isn&#8217;t free, but it&#8217;s worth fighting for.&#8221;</p><p>Look closely at his belt, and you&#8217;ll see more eagles etched into the leather.</p><p>But he keeps his most extensive eagle collection in a glass cabinet where figurines depict the birds soaring, tending to a nest full of eaglets, and even &#8230; hmm &#8230; are those two fighting?</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re mating,&#8221; Spencer said, dropping his voice delicately.</p><p>Over the years Spencer has collected about 20 eagle figurines, and he has plans to add at least one more.</p><p>&#8220;My son will get them when I&#8217;m gone,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Spencer, a twice-widowed father of five sons and one daughter, grew up in Trucksville and attended Westmoreland High School, not planning on a military career. He just knew he didn&#8217;t want to work on a farm.</p><p>In 1960, when he was 23 years old and working for the E. A. Wright Bank Note Co. in Philadelphia, he was drafted and sent to Vietnam for 11 months.</p><p>&#8220;It was a good job&#8221; that he had left behind in Pennsylvania, he said.</p><p>But he liked the Army too, which trained him for the Corps of Engineers.</p><p>Whenever his tour of duty would end, Spencer said, he re-enlisted. He eventually spent 11-and-a-half years in Germany, which was more than half of his time in the military.</p><p>&#8220;I retired in 1980,&#8221; he said, &#8220;with 20 years and 20 days of service.&#8221;</p><p>Spencer chuckled as he said the numbers, enjoying the sound of the final tally.</p><p><ins>For other Life Section stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/features" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Kenneth Spencer surveys the American flags and bald eagle that decorate the outside of his house in Dallas. He enjoys showing his patriotic feelings by displaying these symbols of the United States. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Kenneth Spencer surveys the American flags and bald eagle that decorate the outside of his house in Dallas. He enjoys showing his patriotic feelings by displaying these symbols of the United States. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Look at the back of his T-shirt, and you&#8217;ll see the U.S. Army veteran was sporting another eagle there on a recent Tuesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Look at the back of his T-shirt, and you&#8217;ll see the U.S. Army veteran was sporting another eagle there on a recent Tuesday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kenneth Spencer takes delight in the eagle figurines that he keeps in a display case. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Kenneth Spencer takes delight in the eagle figurines that he keeps in a display case. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kenneth Spencer reflects on his military service, which spanned &#8216;20 years and 20 days.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Kenneth Spencer reflects on his military service, which spanned &#8216;20 years and 20 days.&#8217; </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kenneth Spencer, of Dallas, has lined his sidewalk with 10 American flags. He replaces them with new flags each Independence Day. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman5.jpg</photo4><caption4>Kenneth Spencer, of Dallas, has lined his sidewalk with 10 American flags. He replaces them with new flags each Independence Day. </caption4><photoCredit4>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman6.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The lighting in the dining room of Kenneth Spencer&#8217;s home accentuates a figurine that depicts the mating dance of two bald eagles. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman6.jpg</photo5><caption5>The lighting in the dining room of Kenneth Spencer&#8217;s home accentuates a figurine that depicts the mating dance of two bald eagles. </caption5><photoCredit5>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman7.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">This bald eagle statue is so heavy, Spencer needed four men to help him place it in front of his home. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman7.jpg</photo6><caption6>This bald eagle statue is so heavy, Spencer needed four men to help him place it in front of his home. </caption6><photoCredit6>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman8.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kenneth Spencer expects to add at least one more figurine to his collection. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL072717eagleman8.jpg</photo7><caption7>Kenneth Spencer expects to add at least one more figurine to his collection. </caption7><photoCredit7>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit7></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Veteran&#8217;s collections reflect his patriotism</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

80-year-old Army veteran Kenneth Spencer proudly displays flags, eagles