{"id":4838,"date":"2023-04-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=4838"},"modified":"2023-04-13T00:13:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T00:13:22","slug":"armys-moh-recipients-set-example-for-next-generation-of-soldiers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=4838","title":{"rendered":"Army\u2019s MOH recipients set example for next generation of Soldiers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n WEST POINT, N.Y. \u2013 Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee speaks to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., on the merit and difficulty of making tough decisions while in combat, March 1, 2023. On March 25 in Pentagon City, Plumlee participated in a National Medal of Honor Day media event hosted by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
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WASHINGTON \u2014 When Sgt. Maj. Thomas Payne and Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee received the nation\u2019s highest military valor award, they joined a select group of Soldiers who earned the Medal of Honor while on active duty.<\/p>\n

Now the recipients have taken the responsibility of representing the Army while also helping draw interest of potential recruits to the service.<\/p>\n

Plumlee and Payne attended the Congressional Medal of Honor Society\u2019s 2023 Citizen Honors Awards on March 25, which recognized fellow recipients and other service members.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like wherever I go I represent the Army even more so than before,\u201d Plumlee said during the event that commemorated National Medal of Honor Day in Pentagon City. \u201cI think it does come with that obligation to hold yourself to a slightly higher standard of conduct but it\u2019s that beautiful burden.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re constantly representing the Army and the United States,\u201d Payne said. \u201cAnytime our boots hit the ground, we\u2019re ambassadors of the American way of life, and it\u2019s an honor and privilege to take the fight and crush the enemy when we have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Aug. 28, 2013, Plumlee and fellow Green Berets successfully defended a forward operating base from an insurgent attack. His bravery first earned him the Silver Star which was later upgraded.<\/p>\n

Plumlee said he now embraces his role as a Medal of Honor recipient after initially being reluctant to step into the national spotlight. Plumlee said in 2021 said he did not want to take attention from his elite unit of Green Berets.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 16, 2021, President Biden awarded Plumlee the Medal in the White House\u2019s East Room. Plumlee deployed shortly after the week of ceremonies honoring his actions.<\/p>\n

Following his reception of the Medal of Honor, Plumlee later returned to his home state of Oklahoma in October 2022 during at outreach tour where he spoke to potential Army recruits at different schools. Plumlee also attended the Oklahoma State University homecoming game.<\/p>\n

The Soldier stepped away from his duties as a Green Beret and represented the Special Forces Recruiting Battalion as well as the Army Recruiting Command, based in Fort Knox, Kentucky, to encourage potential recruits to join the Army. After falling short of its recruiting goals in 2022, the Army aims to recruit 65,000 new Soldiers into its ranks in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cI share with [recruits] how meaningful my service has been to me, how proud I am when I look back at what the country is,\u201d he said.\u201d I\u2019ve played that part of creating the system that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Sgt. Maj. Thomas Payne shares a laugh during his visit to the Pentagon, on Sept. 10, 2020. Payne received the Medal of Honor by President Donald J. Trump at the White House on Sept. 11, 2020 for his actions on Oct. 22, 2015 during a nighttime hostage rescue in Iraq. Payne along with other Medal of Honor recipients took part in a special awards ceremony commemorating National Medal of Honor Day on March 25, 2023 in Pentagon City.
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Payne, who on Oct. 22, 2015 led one of the largest rescue operations in U.S. history to earn the Medal, echoed Plumlee\u2019s sentiments. Payne said he has done some recruiting outreach for the Army, but his duties as an Army Ranger take precedence.<\/p>\n

Payne, standing with the Medal adorned around his neck, said that the Army presents a unique profession for recruits providing personal growth and career development.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you were to lay out 100 careers for me today, knowing what I know about it now, I would pick this career 100 times over,\u201d Payne said. \u201cI\u2019ve had the honor and privilege to serve with the greatest servicemen that this country has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the 2015 mission, Payne joined a Special Operations Joint Task Force to liberate more than 70 Iraqi prisoners from an Islamic State group prison in Hawija, Iraq.<\/p>\n

The South Carolina native enlisted in the Army as an infantry Soldier after graduating high school in 2002. Now he serves as an instructor for Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

On Sept. 11, 2020, President Trump placed the Medal of Honor upon Payne\u2019s shoulders in a White House ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had the opportunity to serve with the 75th Ranger Regiment \u2026 the most elite Soldiers in the United States military,\u201d said Payne, 38. \u201cAnd they set the foundation of how to be a warrior on the battlefield. And I\u2019m grateful for that leadership and I\u2019m carrying on their legacy \u2026 We\u2019re just paving the way forward for the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Soldiers are nearing the end of their military careers. Plumlee said that he expects to retire within the next two years and take some years off to spend time with his wife and children.<\/p>\n

Although Plumlee and Payne have not yet decided on their plans after the Army, they both said they will continue to represent the Army and become productive citizens.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust be productive members of society,\u201d Payne said. \u201cWe\u2019ll go back to our hometowns, kind of like that Vietnam and World War II generation that coached itself in youth football and baseball. [We\u2019ll] just give back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related links: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Medal of Honor: Master Sergeant Earl D. Plumlee<\/a><\/p>\n

Medal of Honor: Sergeant Major Thomas P. Payne<\/a><\/p>\n

Army News Service<\/a><\/p>\n

ARNEWS archives<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WEST POINT, N.Y. \u2013 Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee speaks to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., on the merit and difficulty of making tough decisions while in combat, March 1, 2023. On March 25 in Pentagon City, Plumlee participated in a National Medal of Honor Day media […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4840,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4838"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4843,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4838\/revisions\/4843"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}