Medal of Honor Recipient Earl Plumbley on Divine Protection and Prayer in Combat

The Taliban Attack on FOB Gazni

• 🎯 FOB Gazni faced a complex attack by the Taliban aiming to overrun and destroy the camp in 2013.
• 💣 The enemy initiated the attack with three truck bombs (3,000-5,000 lbs) and one massive 20,000 lb bomb, intending to drive out American forces.
• ⚠️ Several enemy plans were thwarted: the largest bomb broke down a mile away, and an Afghani police officer destroyed another truck bomb with an RPG, sacrificing himself.

Master Sergeant Plumbley's Intense Engagement

• 💥 A cement truck carrying 5,000 lbs of explosives breached the wall, allowing 15 assaulters to enter the camp.
• 🎯 Plumbley and four other Green Berets intercepted the assaulters at an intersection, finding themselves directly in their path.
• 🔫 Plumbley's sniper rifle jammed after one shot, leaving him to engage the enemy with his pistol at close range.
• 💥 He recounts throwing a grenade and then engaging fighters at extremely close distances, some as near as 10-12 meters.
• 💣 A significant moment involved Plumbley shooting a fighter wearing a suicide vest, causing it to detonate and blast him into an empty water tank.

Miraculous Survival and Divine Protection

• 🛡️ Despite being targeted by over 320 bullets fired at close range (10-12 meters), Plumbley was not hit once.
• 👂 Plumbley credits his hearing protection earbuds, used for radio communication, with saving him from the blast of the detonated suicide vest.
• 🤕 While Plumbley sustained only a superficial wound, his comrade Drew was battered by shrapnel and fragments from rounds hitting the truck.

The Power of Prayer and Faith in Battle

• 🙏 Plumbley's mother had organized a ladies' prayer circle two days before the battle, praying for him and his comrades.
• 💬 After the battle, Nate Abmire, who had initially declined the prayer circle, urged Plumbley to tell his mother to pray for everyone, acknowledging the divine intervention.
• ⚡ The experience highlighted the profound impact of prayer and divine protection, even in the most dangerous combat situations.

Spirituality in the Face of Mortality

• ✝️ Plumbley observes that soldiers on the battlefield, like people in nursing homes nearing the end of life, often turn to spirituality when confronting mortality.
• 💡 He expresses sadness that such extreme circumstances are often needed to prompt this spiritual connection, emphasizing the value of embracing faith proactively.