Nightly News   |  October 11, 2012

Basil Plumley, famous war veteran, dies at 92

The soldier, who fought in three wars, became an iconic figure among generations of people serving in the military. NBC’s Brian Williams reports.

Share This:

This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>>> guys this nation has ever produced has died. and given his life story , no one can really believe that basil plumly lived to the age of 92. he was a sergeant major in the u.s. army , the top enlisted rank. they are closest to the commander and run the unit, handing out stern orders, wise counsel and dry socks. plumly served in world war ii , including the d-day invasion, then korea, then vietnam. and it is that war that got him written about and portrayed on the big screen , in the book, and later the movie "we were soldiers." it was about the battle in the valley in 1965 . the u.s. was trying out something new, and 237 americans were killed by the north vietnamese .

>> no such thing today, boy.

>> basil plumly was a legend, an icon in the u.s. military , with little use for his chestful of medals. he never told war stories . he hung up on anyone calling the house for an interview. he was in uniform for 32 years, married to the same woman for 63 years. command sergeant major plumly, veteran and patriot, was 92 years