Basil Plumley, retired veteran whose book became ‘We Were Soldiers’ movie, dies in Georgia

In a March 19, 2009 photo, retired Command Sgt. Maj. Basil L. Plumley, right, and retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, left, who served together with the 1st Cavalry Division in the Ia Drang Valley, talk at the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center in Columbus, Ga. (AP/The Ledger-Enquirer)

Basil L. Plumley, a renowned career soldier whose exploits as an Army infantryman were portrayed in a book and the movie “We Were Soldiers,” has died at 92 — an age his friends are amazed that he lived to see.

Plumley fought in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam and was awarded a medal for making five parachute jumps into combat. The retired command sergeant major died Wednesday

He was played by Sam Elliot in the film.

RIP Sgt. Maj., and thank you.