_Basil_L._Plumley_at_West_Point_10_May_2010.JPG)
BornJanuary 1, 1920
DiedOctober 10, 2012 (aged 92)[1]
SpouseDeurice Plumley (c. 1949–2012; her death)[3]ChildrenDebbie KimbleMilitary careerAllegiance
United States of AmericaService/
branch
United States Army 
Years of service1942–1974Rank
Command Sergeant MajorUnit505th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division
187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry DivisionBattles/warsWorld War II
Awards40ADOther workAdministrative worker at Martin Army Community Hospital (1975–1990) Basil L. Plumley (January 1, 1920 – October 10, 2012[1]) was a career soldier and airborne combat infantryman in the United States Army who eventually achieved the rank of Command Sergeant Major. He is most famous for his actions as Sergeant Major of the US Army's 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, at the Battle of Ia Drang (Vietnam, 1965). Lieutenant General Hal Moore, who, as a Lieutenant Colonel, was Plumley's battalion commander during the Battle of Ia Drang, 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".
Military career
Plumley enlisted in the US Army as a private on March 31, 1942. He was a member of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, with which he made four combat jumps and was awarded multiple decorations. He was a member of the 320th Glider Field Artillery Bn. He confirms this during interviews conducted with author Phil Nordyke, who has written 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. He retired as a Command Sergeant Major on December 31, 1974, having been awarded 28 different personal, unit, campaign and service awards and decorations (40 total) in almost 33 years of military service, spanning World War II, the Korean War, 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 Troop Medical Clinics around Ft. Benning (Fort Benning, Georgia), retiring again in 1990.[4]
Personal life
Plumley was born on January 1, 1920, in Shady Spring, West Virginia, the second son and fifth child of coal miner Clay H. Plumley (September 19, 1879[5]-26 February 1952[6]) and his wife Georgia B. Morton (January 19, 1895[7]-February 16, 1962[8]), both of whom were natives of West Virginia. After two years of high-school, he worked as a chauffeur/driver before enlisting in the US Army on March 31, 1942. In 1948/49, Plumley married Deurice Dillon, who died on May 28, 2012, ending 63 years of marriage. Basil Plumley died of cancer after nine days in Columbus Hospice (Columbus, Georgia), on October 10, 2012. He is survived by his daughter, Debbie Kimble, a granddaughter, and two great-grandchildren.[3]
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 Elliot in the 2002 film adaption.
Awards and decorations
|
Combat Infantryman Badge (three awards) | |
| File:Combat Parachutist Badge 5.gif | Master Combat Parachutist Badge with gold star (indicating 5 combat jumps) | |
|
Vietnam Army Parachutist Badge | |
|
Original Air Assault Badge | |
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- 10 Service Stripes, indicating 30–32 years of service
See also
References
- ^ a b Pitts, Fadell (October 10, 2012). "Retired CSM Basil Plumley dies, Fort Benning mourns loss". WTVM-TV. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
- ^ Associated Press (October 10, 2012). "Basil Plumley, veteran of 3 wars, featured in 'We Were Soldiers' movie, dies in Georgia". FoxNews.com. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- ^ a b "Deurice Plumley Obituary". Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (by Legacy.com). May 29, 2012.
- ^ Associated Press, "Plumley, veteran of 3 wars, dies at age 92", Military Times, 10 October 2012
- ^ United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microfilm.
- ^ "West Virginia Deaths, 1853–1970." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah. From originals housed in county courthouses throughout West Virginia. "Death Records."
- ^ "West Virginia Births, 1853–1930." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2008, 2009. From digital images of copies of originals housed in County Courthouses throughout West Virginia. Birth records.
- ^ "West Virginia Deaths, 1853–1970." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah. From originals housed in county courthouses throughout West Virginia. "Death Records."
- 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 Edition ed.). Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1853105023.
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