It was as though Plumlees made a point not to stand apart.

Marshall, Mason, and Miles are neighbors in baby books. The three siblings are separated by less than four years. Each one stands at least 6 feet-10. Each one is played at Duke. Each one reaches the NBA.

But when each one called Indiana, the youngest son and highest Plumlees sounded not like his brothers.

“They will ask, ‘Hey honey, what are you doing today?’ And I told them about blowing things up or jumping out of airplanes or flying by helicopter, “Marshall Plumlee said. “Sounds like another world to a family that only knows basketball.”

The sport has bounced through their bloodline, starting with Plumlee’s grandfather, Albert “Bud” Schultz, who plays at Michigan Tech. A pair of uncles also play campus basketball. So is his father, “Perky” (Tennessee Tech), and his mother, Leslie (Purdue), who meets as an advisor in a basketball camp.

Miles spent seven seasons in the NBA and joined the Australian league in January. Mason, now with the Denver Nuggets, is in his seventh year in the NBA. Marshall, who won the national championship with the Blue Devils and played with Knicks and Bucks, hasn’t been a pro team in nearly two years.

He walked away from dreams to fulfill the others, as the platoon leader in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington.

“They are very supportive and accepted,” Hey, Marshall is his own personality with his own personal passion. Incidentally Marshall is not only passionate about basketball, but passionate about the Army and about service, “said Plumlee about his brothers.” They are probably my biggest cheerleaders on this new team. … It takes time for everyone to heat up the idea it’s because we are a basketball family and that’s all we know. But seeing how happy I am, seeing how much I have improved as a person, they know me exactly where I should be. “

His military career was first fueled by a love of history classes and war films. In high school, Plumlee was guided by General Robert Brown, who played under Mike Krzyzewski in the Army.

Later, he joined his brothers at Duke, becoming Krzyzewski’s first player in more than three decades in Durham who also participated in the ROTC (Reserve Training Corps).

“Almost like fate. Coach K, I don’t think that anyone has a better understanding of the basketball world and the world of the Army simultaneously, training me as a basketball player and like a future Army officer, “Plumlee said. “What’s really cool is how I feel the two have helped each other. I began to pay attention to him by paying more attention to Coach K leading, all the disciplines, all the leadership lessons instilled in him from the Army, I said, “Hey, I want that in my life.”

Plumlee was signed by the Knicks as a free agent who had no contract in 2016 and appeared in 21 games as a beginner, while serving in the New York National Guard. After eight other matches with the Bucks and several G-League stops, he gave up forever.

“Every time I served in the National Guard, it was a great feeling. It never feels like work, “Plumlee said. “I continue to feel itchy and want to serve in a different capacity. This is really Coach K, I called him and he encouraged me to pursue active duty. His advice was, “You don’t always have a good jump shot and you don’t always dribble well, but you have a very kind heart,” and he encouraged me to follow my heart. I like the NBA experience, but my guts say that I think it will be cooler to continue to be a part of something bigger than myself.

“It doesn’t feel like anything or anything. It feels like both because there is a lot of accumulation between the two. The line between the two has blurred in many ways. “

In 2019, Plumlee enrolled in the Ranger School at Fort Benning in Georgia. The aim of this grueling two-month training is to join one of the world’s top military units, which is used in difficult and dangerous missions, engaging in close combat and direct combat. Applicants train in the air, in the mountains, in swamps, in battles that seem to never end in mental and physical exhaustion.

“I don’t think there is anything in common with Ranger School. This is an entirely unique experience. They really challenge your toughness,” Plumlee said. “That gives me a brutal look in the mirror about what I am good at and what I need to be more good. That really helps build your character as a soldier. “

Plumlee faced a unique challenge as a 7 foot soldier, while curling up in a vehicle and jumping out of a plane. He faces inherent and unnecessary risks, as a 27-year-old can bank at least six digits of annual salary to play games.

“I feel confident. I feel safe. I feel ready that we have a good attack plan for all kinds of difficulties that will occur, “said Plumlee. “I feel no danger.”

He felt nothing but certainty about his decision.

“People often ask if I miss the NBA now, but in the Army, I feel like I get the same feeling every day,” Plumlee said. “I am part of a team with people from various backgrounds and we have come together for a joint mission.

“I like this analogy,” I will plant many trees that I will never see grow. ‘This is a really cool feeling. “