| Basil L. Plumley | |
|---|---|
CSM(R) Basil Plumley at West Point, 10 May 2010 |
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| Born | January 1, 1920 Shady Spring, West Virginia |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942-1974 |
| Rank | Command Sergeant Major |
| Battles/wars | |
Basil L. Plumley was born January 1, 1920 in Shady Spring, West Virginia, the second son and fifth child of coal miner Clay Plumley (b.1879) and his wife Georgia (b.abt.1895), both of West Virginian stock. He is most famous for his actions as a Sergeant-Major of the US Army's 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, at the Battle of Ia Drang (1965). General Hal Moore praised Plumley as an outstanding NCO and leader in the book We Were Soldiers Once...And Young. The Sergeant Major was known affectionately by his soldiers as "Old Iron Jaw".
He enlisted in the US Army on 31 March 1942 as a private. His education on enlistment was 2 years of high school. His civil occupation at the time was listed as semiskilled chauffeur/driver of bus, taxi, truck or tractor. Height and weight is given as 70/154. Plumley is a veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He made all 4 combat jumps with the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division in World War II (Operation Husky-Sicily, Operation Avalanche-Salerno, Operation Neptune-Normandy, and Operation Market Garden-Holland) and one in Korea with the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment. He retired as a Command Sergeant Major on 31 December 1974. After his retirement he worked 15 more years for the Army at Martin Army hospital as a civilian and retired again in 1990.
He currently resides with his wife Deurice in Columbus, Georgia.
He was portrayed by Sam Elliott in the film, We Were Soldiers.