Description This is a very special joint episode between the CATO Podcast and the Debrief hosted by CATO President Brent Stratton and Jon Becker. Our guest today is Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sergeant Earl D. Plumlee. MSgt Plumlee received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 28, 2013 in Afghanistan. We were extremely lucky to sit down with MSgt Plumlee after he spoke at the CATO Conference this year. In this episode we will hear the story of his amazing actions that day, talk about training, preparation, and mindset and learn from a true American hero. Timestamps 2:10 Earl’s Career History 6:35 Mission of Army Special Forces Units 17:00 Arrival at FOB Ghazni 20:00 Precursors of the Attack 28:40 Day of the Attack 33:00 Engagement Begins 55:00 Earl and Drew Regroup 66:00 Effects of Earl’s Training on His Response 77:00 Embracing Weakness to Elevate Performance 87:00 Stress Innoculation Lessons Learned 90:00 Attention to Detail and Unit Culture 98:00 The Meaning of the Medal of Honor to Earl 103:00 The Need for Family and Work Life Balance Links Medal of Honor Presentation - Remarks on Presenting the Medal of Honor to Master Sergeant Earl D. Plumlee and Posthumously to Sergeant First Class Alwyn C. Cashe and Sergeant First Class Christopher A. Celiz | The American Presidency Project (ucsb.edu)