This accusation bothers me because the accuser waited until the Plumley was dead before accusing him of stolen valor. This prevented Plumley from defending himself:
Command Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joseph Galloway at Fort Benning, Ga. COURTESY OF JOSEPH GALLOWAY
The late Command Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley, a legend in the U.S. Army and famously depicted by the actor Sam Elliott in the Vietnam War movie “We Were Soldiers,” is under review by Army officials for having worn unauthorized combat and valor awards, according to a report on Military.com.
Plumley died of cancer in 2012, but Brian Siddall, an independent researcher who has devoted years of his life researching Plumley’s service records and the exploits of other service members in World War II, uncovered discrepancies between Plumley’s official documents and widely reported accounts of his service.
In the 1992 book “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young,” co-written by Joe Galloway and retired Lt. Gen Hal Moore and on which the movie is based, Plumley is a central character and is introduced as a soldier who had made four combat jumps in World War II as well as a combat jump in the Korean War. According to Siddall, service records indicate that Plumely served as a scout in a glider unit and participated in two glider assaults during World War II and never deployed to Korea. [Stars & Stripes]
Here is the part of the accusation that really bothers me:
“I just want the correct information out there because there are so many people that are really heroes, and it is so frustrating when they give the hero status to someone who was anything but,” Siddall told Military.com.
Even if Plumley exaggerated his combat awards he is without a doubt an American military hero based on his actions during the battle of the Ia Drang in Vietnam.
With that said it does appear true that Plumley did not serve during the Korean War which makes me wonder why he would claim something like that? As far as the other accusations it appears instead of parachuting into Normandy during World War II he landed in a glider which was just as dangerous. As far as awards earned during World War II I can definitely see discrepancies happening from that time frame so I put little weight in that.
Who is this back-stabbing Siddall anyway? What has he done but feed off the blood of his betters? What has he done that earned him the right to even mention the names of combat heroes? Not to mention some records of WW2 vets were lost in fires and might not be available to verify. If anyone thinks Glider was easier than Paratrooper, they’re wrong.
Talking about Stolen Valor, this guy’s only claim to fame is that there were brave men in his family before he came along.
Sickening…
Who is this back-stabbing Siddall anyway? What has he done but feed off the blood of his betters? What has he done that earned him the right to even mention the names of combat heroes? Not to mention some records of WW2 vets were lost in fires and might not be available to verify. If anyone thinks Glider was easier than Paratrooper, they’re wrong.
Talking about Stolen Valor, this guy’s only claim to fame is that there were brave men in his family before he came along.
Read this, because it’s growing: https://accordingtohoyt.com/2016/05/27/destroying-our-heroes-william-lehman/
I would love to be proven wrong on this one.
Respect the fallen,,,,,,