Lance Williams said:
Sgt.Maj. Basil Plumley was portayed by Sam Elliot......
Thankyou, after Ed Harris as Major König, he is the best thousand yard, hard as nails, vet that has been in the movie's ever!
Sam Was really the heart of the Battalion, wasnt he, he cept Mel together, when Mel had doubts... best line being when Mel, as Moore, is having doubts, and recalling Little Big Horn, Elliot as Plumley, comes and says: 'Sir, Custer was a pussy!' (meaning in military slang, a nerd'... not the other meaning given to that word (meaning little cat)...
Elliot/Plumley's second best line (The two are identical as what Plumley really said, is identical to Elliot's line, according to the book, read it)!
Is: when the NVA, are breaking through, right before the famous and dramatic 'Broken Arrow sign is given, and the whole damn airforce, and navy carriers shoot off dozens of fast movers, full of all kind's of munitions...
So, they are breaking through the line in small groups, and plumley who is the senior commander at the wounded collection point, (With the mortars next to it I think), he sees the short dashes of small groups of NVA, many would have paniced, but Elliot/Plumley (The figure is so like the real Plumpley pictured in the book, that I cannot draw a line between the movie character, and the real guy)! Says to the wounded, who still can hold a weapon, 'Gentlemen! Prepare to defend your selves'!!!
Yep, a vet from Sicily, Normandy, Market Garden, the Rhine Crossing jump? (I'm confused, he did 'all four combat jumps in ww2, where was the fourth, op varsity perhaps)?
And the Bulge, and an extra combat jump in Korea... I mean this guy, had enough experience to be a three star general!
And don't Elliot get the part right? I loved him, best character in the film, without any doubts...
Toughest US combat performance ever in my books.