DVIDS – News – Medal of Honor Recipient returns dwelling

OKLAHOMA CITY – Grasp Sgt. Earl Plumlee, a Medal of Honor recipient and Oklahoma native, returned to his dwelling state to share his story with fellow Oklahomans.

“Oklahoma is the place I am from, it is the place I grew up,” Plumlee mentioned. “It is at all times going to be particular as a result of it is part of my childhood and turning into a younger man.”

Born in Clinton, Oklahoma and raised on his household’s cattle ranch in Western Oklahoma, Plumlee enlisted within the Oklahoma Army Nationwide Guard at 17 years outdated as a rocket artilleryman with the forty fifth Subject Artillery Brigade.

After graduating highschool, he enlisted with the United State Marine Corps the place he served eight years in a wide range of Particular Operation roles. In 2009, Plumlee joined the US Army’s 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) primarily based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

Plumlee was introduced with the Medal of Honor on Dec. 16, 2021 for his actions whereas responding to an assault by insurgents on Ahead Working Base Ghazni, Afghanistan on Aug. 28, 2013.

“I at all times inform folks we do not have a unit, we’ve a Special Forces Group household,” Plumlee mentioned. “There’s not one person who’s carrying that unit. All people is doing their half in making it excellent. And it is at all times sort of awkward for me to be sort of singled out as this success after I know that everyone in my unit was simply nearly as good as I used to be.”

Having served 24 years in the US army, Plumlee says it’s this camaraderie that permits him to have the ability to accomplish his job and to succeed.

“The Army is a particular neighborhood,” Plumlee mentioned. “You might have a full spectrum of personalities and backgrounds and types of considering, and I believe that’s the distinction between success and failure. I’ve seen it many occasions, you’ve a novel drawback and you’ve got some farm children like ‘this isn’t an issue, I do know precisely how you can repair this.’ I’ve seen that nearly repeatedly all through my profession. I do know that the range of backgrounds, inhabitants of Troopers is most of the time the important thing to why the Army would achieve success.”

As part of his Medal of Honor tour, Plumlee engaged with fellow army members, media and on a regular basis Oklahomans. He attended conferences and lunches with authorities officers and civic leaders, spoke to Troopers in varied phases of coaching at Fort Sill, in addition to Junior Reserve Officer Coaching and different college students from throughout the state.

Plumlee, a former scholar athlete, attended two soccer video games whereas at dwelling. The primary at his alma mater Merritt Public Excessive College, adopted by the Oklahoma State College homecoming recreation in Stillwater.

As he spoke to youthful generations, Plumlee mentioned this can be very essential to be a constructive mentor, including that he has realized and developed his personal management model extra from dangerous management than good management.

“I’ve had some very influential, constructive leaders that I attempt to emulate however the dangerous management that I’ve obtained, that stuff sticks in my thoughts,” Plumlee mentioned, mentioning he makes use of the dangerous examples as reminders to by no means deal with these below him poorly.

In line with Plumlee, continuously studying and adapting is without doubt one of the most essential abilities inside the army.

“Should you are available with a hard and fast model of considering and a way of engagement, that is not how the world works,” Plumlee mentioned. “Being adaptable and in a position to take the cues the true world is supplying you with and adjusting your plans to these cues are tremendous essential life abilities. As a result of actuality would not care that you simply had this nice plan this morning.”

For Plumlee, creating actual world abilities of Troopers is essential to bridging the hole between army and civilian life, in addition to serving to Troopers develop inside their unit and army.

Plumlee mentioned one of the vital essential roles the Nationwide Guard performs is bridging the hole between army and the civilian worlds.

“The Nationwide Guard is an effective face of what the US army is locally,” Plumlee mentioned.

Having completed the unimaginable all through his army profession, Plumlee urges youthful Troopers to embrace the adjustments they are going to face all through their careers.

“Do not be afraid to come back out and chase down one thing spectacular and go after it,” Plumlee mentioned. “The army actually is simply nothing however evolving alternatives, and for those who do not take them, that is your loss.”