TAMPA, Fla. — Of the 3,536 Medals of Honor presented since its establishment in 1861, only 61 recipients are alive today, and only a handful of them come from the U.S. special operations forces community.
Yesterday, three of those SOF recipients attended a panel discussion at Special Operations Forces Week 2025 in Tampa, Florida.
Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas P. Payne, retired Army Master Sgt. Earl D. Plumlee and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew O. Williams shared experiences and lessons learned from their heroic actions during an hourlong conversation that emphasized the importance of trust, mentorship and resilience in leadership.
All three men explained what being a Medal of Honor recipient means to them on a personal level.
"Every time we put the medal on, it's a gracious gift to sit here and talk about it," said Williams, who received the medal for his actions of valor during Operation Commando Wrath in Afghanistan in 2008.
He added that a surprising number of people are unaware of the medal's significance.
"And that significance has nothing to do with the guy wearing it, or the action that they took; but it's the idea that you're willing to put yourself and your life on the line for the guys [to the] left and [to the] right of you," he said.
Plumlee, who received his medal for saving numerous lives by mounting a successful counterattack under heavy fire against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan in 2013, explained that he shared his ceremony with two other recipients, both of whom received the medal posthumously.
"That really brought some gravity," he said.
He also explained that, with credible eyewitness testimony being a requirement for receiving the medal, many SOF personnel may be just as deserving of such an award but will never receive the recognition.
"I know a lot of guys who have done very heroic things, but it's not captured and provable, [so] there's no medal for it," Plumlee said.
"It's humbling, and I like to say that I'm wearing [the medal] for [the U.S. Special Operations Command] and vast amounts of operators who have done very heroic things for very little recognition, and [who] just went back to work the next day," he added.
"Just letting the medal be a part of my life [has] required me to grow up," said Payne, who received his MOH for saving 70 hostages with little regard for his own life during a 2015 rescue operation in Iraq.
"It's just a process to live up to the standard of wearing the Medal of Honor, which is hard — every single day — and so, it's a 'beautiful burden,'" Payne added, quoting his friend and fellow recipient, retired Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter.
The three men also spoke about their shared passion for continued service following their time in uniform.
Plumlee said he gets the most out of inspiring others to serve their country.
"I love talking to people [who] were not thinking about serving — or if they're dabbling in it — and really, you know, mentoring [them] and lighting that fire," Plumlee said, adding that the country is always in need of men and women to sign up for military service and "take ownership of the country."
"Every politician's speech and every successful business is built on the bedrock of the security that the [Defense Department] provides," he said.
Williams also said he enjoys encouraging others to serve, if not in the military, then in some other manner that benefits the country.
"One thing that really shocked me when I received the medal … was how much I enjoyed talking to other people about it and just perpetuating the values that we stand for … especially service, and how important service actually is," Williams said.
"I like just talking about that — engaging specifically with kids and students — and going to schools and hoping to provide a little bit of a glimmer of hope for our country," he added.
Payne said SOF operators like himself and the others on stage have lots of friends buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, and that he and his fellow SOF veterans are fortunate to be alive.
"I've just tried to live an extraordinary life in honor of my teammates … We're on 'plus time' now," he said, adding that, despite having been medically retired from the Army, he continues to find ways to serve his country.
"There's a passion to serve still [and] I'm going to continue to serve in different ways," Payne said.
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