Basil L. Plumley

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. He was a combat veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and is most noted for his actions during the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam.

Early life Basil Leonard Plumley was born on January 1, 1920, in Blue Jay, West Virginia, one of six children born to coal miner Clay Plumley and his wife Georgia. After two years of high school, he worked as a chauffeur and truck driver before joining the U.S. Army on March 31, 1942.

Military career In World War II, Plumley served with the 82nd Airborne Division, fighting in the division's assaults of Sicily and Salerno in Italy in 1943, and the invasion of Normandy in France and Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands in 1944. He ended the war at the rank of sergeant. During the Korean War, Plumley served with the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant major in 1961.

In addition to disputing Plumley's decorations, Siddall also found discrepancies in Plumley's service record regarding his postings and participation in combat. Based on his research, Siddall wrote that Plumley served in the 82nd Airborne Division as a scout in the 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion, not as a paratrooper, contradicting the claim in Hal Moore's book We Were Soldiers Once… and Young that Plumley made four parachute jumps in World War II. Plumley died of colon cancer in Columbus, Georgia, on October 10, 2012, at the age of 92.

Plumley is a prominent figure in Lieutenant General Hal Moore's 1992 book We Were Soldiers Once… and Young, which chronicles the Battle of Ia Drang.

Awards and decorations Per a 2015 memo, the U.S. Army verified that Plumley was entitled to wear the following decorations: