Roy Underwood Plummer: The Soldier Who Carried a Diary

Overview

Roy Underwood Plummer (1896–1966) was an African American soldier who served in World War I as a corporal in the 506th Engineer Battalion, part of the segregated Services of Supply troops in France. His precise diary—now housed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture—provides the raw material for Chapter 46 of Amanda Gorman’s collection, where Gorman transforms his entries into haiku. Plummer is not a fictional character but a historical figure whose personal record-keeping offers a rare window into the experience of Black soldiers who performed essential but often invisible manual labor during the war.

Plot Role in "Call Us What We Carry"

In the overall structure of the collection, Plummer's chapter serves as a testament to the often-overlooked contributions of African American troops. The chapter sits among poems that address historical violence, collective memory, and the act of bearing witness. By including his diary alongside her own haiku, Gorman amplifies a voice that might otherwise have remained in archival obscurity. The chapter title "The Soldiers (or Plummer)" immediately signals a dual focus—both the individual man and the larger group of Black servicemen he represents.

The epigraph from The Odyssey frames Plummer’s story as truthful soldier storytelling, aligning his personal account with the epic tradition of recounting war experiences. Gorman’s decision to write in haiku mirrors Plummer’s concise, clerk-like language; many of his diary entries are just one to three sentences long. The haiku’s five-seven-five syllable pattern demands an economy that respects his original style.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Plummer’s diary reveals a man driven by a sense of duty and order. His background as a clerk is evident in his precise grammar, self-corrections, and impeccable handwriting. He often crosses out or corrects himself, as if aware that someone else might read his work. This suggests a motivation not only to document but also to be understood accurately—a form of preserving his legacy.

His motivation to serve stems from patriotism and a desire to prove his worth in a segregated military. He enlisted in 1917 at age 21, leaving Washington, D.C., for France. The diary shows no overt political commentary; instead, it focuses on the daily realities of building roads and fortifications. This restraint may reflect the need for caution in a segregated army, but it also demonstrates a trait of disciplined observation.

After the war, Plummer returned to Washington and practiced medicine for over forty years. This career shift—from soldier-clerk to physician—indicates resilience and a commitment to serving his community. Healing others became his postwar mission, echoing the theme of turning destruction into care.

Chronological Arc

• 1917: Plummer enlists in the army.
• 1917–1918: Serves in France with Company C of the 506th Engineer Battalion, performing manual labor essential for supply lines. He keeps a diary throughout.
• Post-1918: Returns to Washington, D.C.
• 1920s–1960s: Practices medicine for over four decades.
• 1966: Dies.
• 2021: His diary is digitized and transcribed by the Smithsonian, and Gorman incorporates it into her collection.

The arc moves from entry into war, through the experience of labor and survival, to a long career in healing. Gorman does not depict his later years in the poem, but the biographical note at the chapter’s end underscores that his life after war was one of service.

Relationships

The chapter does not describe Plummer’s personal relationships with family or comrades. However, relationships with the larger communities emerge implicitly. He served alongside roughly 160,000 other African American soldiers in Services of Supply. The diary, though personal, was likely written with an awareness of future readers, indicating a relationship with posterity.

Gorman’s relationship to Plummer is that of a respectful interpreter. She imagines new writings in his voice while staying faithful to his concise style. Her haiku do not invent events but rather expand the emotional resonance of his observations. This collaboration across time creates a bond between the poet and the soldier, each carrying the other’s testimony forward.

Key Decisions and Consequences

• Decision to enlist: Plummer chose to join the army in 1917, a decision that placed him in a segregated unit but also allowed him to serve his country. Consequence: He participated in the war effort at a time when Black soldiers were often relegated to labor roles, contributing to the Allied victory while facing discrimination.
• Decision to keep a diary: He decided to record his experiences meticulously. This seemingly small act preserved a personal history that would later become a public record. Consequence: His diary now resides in a national museum, offering future generations insight into the life of a Black soldier.
• Decision to become a physician after the war: Instead of remaining in a clerical role, Plummer pursued medicine. Consequence: He spent decades healing others in his hometown, embodying the collection’s theme of transformation from destruction to creation.

Themes and Symbol Connections

Memory and Erasure

Plummer’s diary directly counters the erasure of Black soldiers from mainstream historical narratives. Gorman’s haiku amplify what might otherwise be overlooked. The diary itself becomes a symbol of personal memory resisting collective forgetfulness. This connects to the collection’s themes of collective memory and erasure.

Grief and Trauma

The war’s trauma is implied in the diary’s terse entries. Plummer does not dwell on horrors, but the very act of recording suggests an attempt to process suffering. Gorman’s haiku gently draw out the grief behind the facts. This aligns with the theme of grief and trauma.

Resilience and Healing

Plummer’s postwar career as a doctor defines his resilience. He moves from building wartime infrastructure to healing bodies. The collection’s emphasis on resilience and healing finds a concrete example in his life.

Unity and Fellowship

Despite serving in a segregated battalion, Plummer was part of a larger fellowship of Black soldiers who supported the war effort. Gorman’s inclusion of his story highlights the unity among those who carried the burden of labor and memory. See unity and fellowship.

Hope and Transformation

The transformation from soldier to doctor embodies hope. Plummer’s life after war was not defined by trauma but by purposeful action. The collection’s hope and transformation theme resonates strongly here.

Key Decisions and Consequences (Extended)

Plummer’s decision to record the war with disciplined clarity ensured that his voice would one day be heard. Gorman’s choice to use haiku respects his economy while adding lyrical layers. This interplay between historical document and poetic invention demonstrates how language can carry truth across generations.

5 Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why did Amanda Gorman choose haiku for Plummer’s chapter?
She chose haiku because its three-line structure mirrors the brevity of Plummer’s diary entries. Many of his notes are only one to three sentences, so the five-seven-five syllable count demands the same economical use of language.

2. What does Plummer’s diary reveal about his personality?
It reveals a meticulous, self-aware person. He corrects his own grammar and writes with precise handwriting, suggesting he expected others to read his work. This indicates conscientiousness and a desire to be accurately remembered.

3. How does Plummer’s story connect to the collection’s title?
The title “Call Us What We Carry” refers to the burdens and memories we all bear. Plummer literally carried a diary. Figuratively, he carried the weight of representing Black soldiers whose contributions were often ignored. Gorman calls him and others what they carry: their stories.

4. What is the significance of the Odyssey epigraph in his chapter?
The epigraph praises truthful soldier storytelling, framing Plummer’s account as worthy of epic tradition. It elevates his personal record to the level of classical heroism, insisting that his experience matters.

5. How does Plummer’s postwar career as a physician reflect the book’s themes?
His shift from soldier to healer embodies the theme of transformation. It shows that survival can lead to purposeful service. The collection’s ending echoes this idea of moving from brokenness to rebuilding.

Conclusion

Roy Underwood Plummer is a figure who bridges personal history and collective memory. His diary, transformed into haiku, becomes a vessel for truth. Through his life—from war to medicine—he illustrates the collection’s central message that what we carry can be transformed into light. For more on the book’s overarching story, see the Call Us What We Carry main page or the questions and answers section.