Basil L. Plumley

Basil L. Plumley
Plumley at West Point in 2010
Born	(1920-01-01)January 1, 1920 Shady Spring, West Virginia, U.S.
Died	October 10, 2012(2012-10-10) (aged 92) Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
Buried	Fort Benning Main Post Cemetery
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1942–1974
Rank	Command Sergeant Major
Unit	320th Field Artillery Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division
Battles / wars	World War II Battle of Normandy Operation Market-Garden Rhine Germany Korean War Vietnam War Ia Drang Valley
Awards	Silver Star Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart (2)
Spouse(s)	Deurice Dillon ​ ​ (m. 1949; died 2012)​
Other work	Administrative worker at Martin Army Community Hospital (1975–1990)

Basil Leonard Plumley (January 1, 1920 – October 10, 2012) was an American soldier who served in the United States Army for over three decades, rising to the rank of Command Sergeant Major. As a combat veteran of World War II and the Vietnam War, he is most noted for his actions during the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam.

Early life

Plumley was born on January 1, 1920, in Shady Spring, West Virginia, the son of coal miner Clay H. Plumley and his wife Georgia B. Morton. After two years of high-school, he worked as a chauffeur before enlisting in the US Army on March 31, 1942.

Military career

Plumley enlisted in the United States Army as a Private on March 31, 1942. He was a gliderman of the 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division. He saw action during the Invasion of Normandy and Operation Market Garden.

Plumley participated in two glider assaults in the European Theater. His first was on June 6, 1944, during the Invasion of Normandy, and his second was for Operation Market Garden on Sept. 18, 1944. Plumley was shot in the hand the same day for which he received the Purple Heart and was awarded multiple decorations for his service in World War II.

During the Korean War, Plumley fought as the member of 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment.

He fought in Vietnam with the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment. He participated in the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam in 1965, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore, who praised Plumley as an outstanding NCO and leader in the 1992 book about this battle, We Were Soldiers Once… and Young. The book was the basis for the 2002 film We Were Soldiers, in which Plumley was played by actor Sam Elliott. Plumley was known affectionately by his soldiers as "Old Iron Jaw". Command Sergeant Major Basil Plumley served in the Republic of Korea between 1952 and 1953.

He retired as a Command Sergeant Major on December 31, 1974, having been awarded 28 different personal, unit, campaign and service awards and decorations in almost 33 years of military service, spanning World War II and the Vietnam War. After his retirement, he worked 15 more years for the army as a civilian in administration at Martin Army Community Hospital and at various medical clinics around Fort Benning, Georgia, retiring again in 1990.

Personal life and death

In 1949, Plumley married Deurice Dillon. They were together for 63 years before Deurice died 2012. Plumley died of cancer in Columbus, Georgia, on October 10, 2012. He is survived by a daughter, a granddaughter, and two great-grandchildren.

In popular culture

Plumley was a prominent and central figure in the 1992 book We Were Soldiers Once… and Young by Lt. Gen Hal Moore and Joseph L. Galloway about the Battle of Ia Drang and was portrayed by actor Sam Elliott in the 2002 film adaption.

Awards and decorations

There have been disputes about the medals and decorations Plumley was entitled to wear. Brian Siddall, an independent researcher, alleged in 2015 that Plumley wore unauthorized combat and valor awards that exaggerated his wartime achievements. The U.S. Army has stated that there is no evidence of a substantial error in the recording of Plumley's decorations and has noted that the personnel records of the army are commonly in error, especially during war time and prior to digital filing.

Comparison of Awards and Decorations of CSM Plumley
name of award	listed on his DD 214 in 1974	worn in 2010 at West Point	verifiable by memo of the Army 2015	notes
Combat Infantryman Badge	(2nd award, one star on top)	(3rd award, two stars on top)	(1st award, no star on top)	WW2 - Korea - Vietnam would be a CIB with 2 Stars.
Silver Star Medal with bronze Oak Leaf Cluster	(one oak leaf)	(one oak leaf)	(no oak leaf)
Legion of Merit				matching
Bronze Star Medal with "V" Device and bronze Oak Leaf Cluster	("V" Device, two oak leaf)	("V" Device, one oak leaf)	(no "V" Device, one oak leaf)
Air Medal with numeral device or Oak Leaf Cluster	(with numeral "7")	(eight oak leaf)	(with numeral "7")
Army Commendation Medal	(three oak leaf)	(no oak leaf)	(three oak leaf)
Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster				matching
Army Good Conduct Medal with good conduct loops	(silver clasp and three loops = 8 awards)	(silver clasp and one loop = 6 awards)	(silver clasp and three loops = 8 awards)
American Defense Service Medal	n/a		n/a	only available for service between September 8, 1939, and December 7, 1941
American Campaign Medal				matching
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Arrowhead device, silver and bronze campaign stars	(arrowhead, 1 silver star, 1 bronze star)	(arrowhead, 1 silver star, 2 bronze stars)	(arrowhead, 1 silver star, 1 bronze star)
World War II Victory Medal				matching
Army of Occupation Medal with "Germany" clasp				matching
National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star or bronze Oak Leave Cluster	(bronze star)	(bronze oak leaf)	(bronze star)
Vietnam Service Medal with one silver and three bronze campaign stars	(1 silver star, 3 bronze stars)	(3 bronze stars)	(1 silver star, 3 bronze stars)
Korea Defense Service Medal		not worn		awarded since February 2004 (retroactive to July 28, 1954)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal				matching
French Croix de Guerre (for World War II service)	unclear		unclear	noted in the memo is "French Fourragère"
Belgian Croix de Guerre (for World War II service)	unclear		unclear	noted in the memo is "Belgian Fourragère"
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Gold Star				matching
Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal, second class		not worn
Vietnam Campaign Medal with "1960–" device				matching
Master Parachutist Badge				matching
Glider Badge		not worn		A Glider Badge is for Life
Netherlands Orange Lanyard	no picture	not worn	no picture
Republic of Vietnam Parachutist Badge with palm device (= Republic of Vietnam Master Parachutist Badge)				matching
Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm				matching
Army Presidential Unit Citation with bronze Oak Leaf Clusters	(1 oak leaf)	(2 oak leaf)	(1 oak leaf)
Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal unit citation first class		not worn

Awards and decorations (Army memo from 2015)

	Combat Infantryman Badge
	Master Parachutist Badge
	Glider Badge
	Vietnam Master Parachutist Badge

	Silver Star
	Legion of Merit
	Bronze Star Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
	Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster
	Air Medal with bronze award numeral 7
	Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
	Army Presidential Unit Citation with oak leaf cluster
	Army Good Conduct Medal (8 awards)
	American Campaign Medal
	European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Arrowhead device, one silver and one bronze service stars
	World War II Victory Medal
	Army of Occupation Medal with "Germany" clasp
	National Defense Service Medal with service star
	Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
	Vietnam Service Medal with silver and three bronze service stars
	Korea Defense Service Medal
	Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Gold Star
	Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal, Second Class
	Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
	Vietnam Civil Actions Medal Unit Citation
	Vietnam Campaign Medal

• CSM Plumley also received 3 fourragères: World War II War Cross from France and Belgium as well as the Orange Lanyard from The Netherlands.

References

• 1920 and 1930 US census for Raleigh County, West Virginia
• US Army enlistment records of World War II
• 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment Association
• Moore, Harold G.; Galloway, Joseph L. (1994). We were soldiers once – and young; Ia Drang: the battle that changed the war in Vietnam (First British ed.). Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1853105023.