Basil L. Plumley - wikipedia Basil L. Plumley Basil L. Plumley CSM ( R ) Basil Plumley at West Point, May 10, 2010 ( 1920 - 01 - 01 ) January 1, 1920 Shady Spring, West Virginia, U.S. October 10, 2012 ( 2012 - 10 - 10 ) ( aged 92 ) Columbus, Georgia, U.S. Spouse ( s ) Deurice Plumley ( c. 1949 -- 2012 ; her death ) Children Debbie Kimble Military career Allegiance United States of America Service / branch United States Army Years of service 1942 -- 1974 Rank Command Sergeant Major Unit 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division Battles / wars World War II Battle of Normandy Operation Market - Garden Rhine Germany Korean War Battle of Porkchop Hill Vietnam War Ia Drang Valley Awards 40 Other work Administrative worker at Martin Army Community Hospital ( 1975 -- 1990 ) Basil L. Plumley ( January 1, 1920 -- October 10, 2012 ) was a career soldier and airborne combat infantryman in the United States Army who eventually achieved the rank of Command Sergeant Major. A veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, he is most famous for his actions during the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam. Contents 1 Military career 2 Personal life 3 In popular culture 4 Awards and decorations 5 See also 6 References 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. Basil Plumley was stationed between 1951 through February 26, 1953 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky then he went to serve in Germany. He then fought in Korea during the final months of the Korean War, where he served at The Battle of Old Baldy, as well as the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. For serving in Korea, Plumley received his 2nd Combat Infantryman Badge in 1953. 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 1972 and 1973. 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, 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 medical clinics around Fort Benning ( Fort Benning, Georgia ), retiring again in 1990. 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 - 26 February 1952 ) and his wife Georgia B. Morton ( January 19, 1895 - February 16, 1962 ), 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, after 63 years of marriage. 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. 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 Combat Infantryman Badge ( 3rd award ) Master Parachutist Badge with gold jump star Glider Badge Original Air Assault Badge Vietnam Army Parachutist Badge Silver Star with one bronze oak leaf cluster Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster and `` V '' Device Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster Air Medal with eight oak leaf clusters Army Commendation Medal Army Presidential Unit Citation with two Oak Leaf Clusters Army Good Conduct Medal ( 11 awards ) American Defense Service Medal American Campaign Medal European - African - Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Arrowhead device, 1 silver and 3 bronze campaign stars ( to signify 8 campaigns and 4 combat jumps ) World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star Korean Service Medal with Arrowhead device ( to denote one combat jump ) Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal with one silver and three bronze campaign stars French Croix de Guerre ( for World War II service ) ( attachments unknown, but at least 1 bronze star ) Belgian Croix de Guerre ( for World War II service ) ( attachments unknown, but at least 1 bronze lion ) Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation United Nations Korea Medal Vietnam Campaign Medal Republic of Korea War Service Medal Order of Saint Maurice Primicerius and Doughboy Award 10 Service Stripes, indicating 30 -- 32 years of service See also Biography portal United States Army portal World War II portal Hal Moore Bruce Crandall Ed Freeman Rick Rescorla References ^ Jump up to : Pitts, Fadell ( October 10, 2012 ). `` Retired CSM Basil Plumley dies, Fort Benning mourns loss ''. WTVM - TV. Retrieved October 10, 2012. Jump up ^ Associated Press ( October 10, 2012 ). `` Basil Plumley, veteran of 3 wars, featured in ' We Were Soldiers ' movie, dies in Georgia ''. FoxNews.com. Retrieved 2012 - 10 - 11. ^ Jump up to : `` Deurice Plumley Obituary ''. Columbus Ledger - Enquirer ( by Legacy.com ). May 29, 2012. Jump up ^ Associated Press, `` Plumley, veteran of 3 wars, dies at age 92 '', Military Times, 10 October 2012 Jump up ^ 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. ^ Jump up to : `` West Virginia Deaths, 1853 -- 1970. '' Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah. From originals housed in county courthouses throughout West Virginia. `` Death Records. '' Jump up ^ `` 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. 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. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Basil_L._Plumley&oldid=789255563 '' Categories : 1920 births 2012 deaths Deaths from cancer in Georgia ( U.S. state ) United States Army soldiers American military personnel of World War II American military personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Gallantry Cross ( Vietnam ) Recipients of the Croix de guerre ( Belgium ) Recipients of the Croix de guerre 1939 -- 1945 ( France ) Recipients of the Order of Saint Maurice Battle of Ia Drang Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from October 2012 Articles with hCards Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Cymraeg Español Français Italiano Português Edit links This page was last edited on 6 July 2017, at 09 : 33. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who played the sergeant major in we were soldiers
Answer: Sam Elliott