James Ira “Junior J.” Spurrier was born in Castlewood, Virginia. His family moved often during the Great Depression before settling in Bluefield, where he worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps. After his mother died in 1940, he joined the Army, accidentally rearranging g his name on the enlistment form.

Spurrier fought bravely in World War II. He was wounded in New Guinea, then sent to Europe, where he led daring attacks in France. On September 16, 1944, he killed or captured dozens of German soldiers, earning the Distinguished Service Cross. Two months later, he almost singlehandedly took the town of Achain, earning the Medal of Honor. He also received two Purple Hearts.

After the war, Spurrier struggled with drinking and the law but eventually turned his life around, running a repair shop and retiring in Tennessee. In 2006, a war museum was dedicated in his honor, and his lost medals were later found in an old family safe.