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November 9, 2022 72 mins

Happy Veterans Day. As veterans, we all have our war stories, but none are greater than the ones that come from our Medal of Honor recipients. For this Veterans Day, we have a very special interview. Rob had the privilege of recording earlier this year with Medal of Honor recipient Army Master Sergeant Earl Plumlee, a Special Forces Operations Team sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Forward Operating Base Ghazni in Afghanistan in August of 2013.

Earl Plumlee, Army Master Sergeant, Medal of Honor Recipient

 

  • The idea that Special Forces are elite teams who don’t deserve Medal of Honor recognition is an outdated way of thinking. [4:27]

 

  • Earl shares how he entered military service, starting with the National Guard, while he was in high school and then into the Marine Corps. [6:25]

 

  • Just after 9/11, Earl’s troop was moved to Okinawa, Japan before he became a recon marine in 2004. [10:24]

 

  • Getting his wish, Earl went to Iraq to take his place as a warrior of the nation only to be sobered by the casualties of war. [16:00]

 

  • In August 2013, Earl was a weapons sergeant in Ghazni; when the base came under fire, he took action. He shares the harrowing story. [21:56]

 

  • In the aftermath of the battle, Earl was injured with back injuries and an arm wound. [53:20]

 

  • Earl missed the first call from the President about his receiving the Medal of Honor. So, he called the President back at the White House. [57:53]

 

  • Every year since 2003, Earl has seen a friend buried. [1:05:40]

 

 

For more information or to continue the conversation, please visit:

Veterans of Foreign Wars Website

VFW Podcast Page

@VFWHQ on Twitter

VFW on Facebook

@RobCoutureVFW on Facebook

VFW Unmet Needs Program

Call 1-888-JOIN-VFW

Text “NEEDS” to 20222 to donate to the Unmet Needs Program.

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