Basil Plumley Biography

Plumley is a legend in the U.S. Army for his exploits and was awarded a medal for making five parachute jumps into combat.

• He made one combat jump with the 187th Regimental Combat Team in Korea. He wore Master Parachutist wings with a gold star signifying those five combat jumps.

• Plumley made all four airborne combat operations of the 82nd Airborne Division during the Big War: Sicily, Salerno, Normandy and Holland.

• Plumley, who died in 2012 at the age of 92, was commended for his leadership during the four-day Battle of Ia Drang in 1965 which more than 230 Americans were killed and more than 250 were wounded.