Gen. Larry O. Spencer, USAF (ret.), was born and raised in a tough inner-city street in southeast Washington D.C. Both parents lived in the rural south under Jim Crow and "separate but equal" laws. Spencer's father was a career Army soldier who lost his left hand during the Korean War and suffered from post-traumatic stress. Growing up Larry suffered from being overweight, having poor self-esteem, and a bleak outlook for the future. He experienced summers on his grandfather's tobacco farm, which shaped him as did inner-city sports and fights.

Quite by chance, Spencer enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he continued to struggle with the racial turmoil of the 1970s. He talks about how various NonCom's took him under their wing and mentored him with host Jim Fausone. He moved up the ranks in Financial Management to become a 4-Star General in the Pentagon.