John Spence (frogman)

John Pitts Spence (June 14, 1918 – October 29, 2013) was an American diver for the United States Navy and World War II veteran who is widely credited as the country's first combat frogman. Spence was the first enlisted man to be recruited into a clandestine group, operated by General William "Wild Bill" Donovan of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which would become known as the frogmen. The group was a predecessor of the present-day United States Navy SEALs.

The origin of the term "frogman" can be traced directly to John Spence. In an interview with maritime historian Erick Simmel, Spence explained that frogman first came into use while he was training in a green, waterproof suit. Spence recalled, "Someone saw me surfacing one day and yelled out, 'Hey, frogman!' The name stuck for all of us." Spence and the other men trained in underwater close combat techniques, demolition and stealth in order to destroy underwater emplacements and enemy ships during World War II. Spence trained under a medical student, Dr. Christian Lambertsen, who developed the United States Navy frogmen's rebreathers for underwater warfare.

Spence was initially sent to the United Kingdom after training. His original mission was to attack a German submarine base in France. However, Spence's original mission was cancelled for fear that the attack on the submarine base may accidentally alert Nazi Germany to the impending D-Day invasion of Normandy. Instead, Spence and several British commandos were secretly sent to France several times to rescue stranded airmen and meet with the French Resistance.

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