Csm plumley biography
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Basil L. "Old Iron Jaw"Plumley
Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army
Basil L. Plumley was born on 1 January 1920, in Shady Spring, WV, the second son, and fifth child, of coal miner Clay and Georgia Plumley. After two years of high school, he worked as a driver/chauffeur before enlisting in the U.S. Army on 31 March 1942.
A paratrooper, he was a member of the 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion, with which he made four combat jumps and was awarded multiple medals. Plumley confirmed this during interviews conducted with author Phil Nordyke, author of four books relating to the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II. Plumley went on to make one combat jump in Korea with the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment.
As a career soldier and airborne combat infantryman, Plumley eventually achieved the rank of Command Sergeant Major. He is most famous for his actions as Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, at the Battle of Ia Drang, Vietnam, on 14-18 November 19
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Plumley, Basil L., CSM
Hero of three wars dies in Columbus
Command Sgt. Major Basil Plumley was 92
By: Fort Benning, GA|Vis News Release
Published: October 10, 2012
Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley has died at Columbus Hospice. He was 92. Plumley served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
During the Vietnam War, he was sergeant major of the 1st Battalion, 7th Calvary Regiment commanded by Lt. General (then Lt. Col.) Hal Moore. The actions of that unit in the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965 were the basis of Moore's book, "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young." The book was made in to a movie in 2002 starring Mel Gibson. Plumley was played by Sam Elliot.
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between the United State Army and regulars of the People's Army of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
CSM Plumley enlisted in the Army in March 1942 and retired with 32 years of service. He worked at Ma
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A Final Salute
Tucked between pages 220 and 221 of a dog-eared copy of "We Were Soldiers Once … and Young" is a receipt from the Fort Benning commissary dated 2001. It serves two purposes; first, to mark the account of a remarkable incident that occurred in November 1965 during a battle between American forces and the North Vietnamese in the Ia Drang Valley; and second, to remind me that for a time, a giant walked among us.
In April 2001, the smoke had finally settled from the exodus of the film crew, the stars and cameras and hangers on who descended on Fort Benning earlier that year to film Hollywood's adaptation of We Were Soldiers. I was in the check-out line with my daughter and a friend, both 10-year-olds who had experienced first-hand the sensation that surrounded the presence of Hollywood royalty on post since their moms worked in the Public Affairs Office.
In walked retired Command Sgt. Major Basil Plumley and his wife Deurice.
I didn't introduce the girls to the Pluml