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John D. Kelly (July 8, 1923 – November 23, 1944) was a
WWII Army Enlistment Records
/ref> and by June 25, 1944, was serving as a Corporal in Company E,
John D. Kelly (July 8, 1923 – November 23, 1944) was a United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
—for his actions in World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Biography
Kelly joined the Army fromCambridge Springs, Pennsylvania
Cambridge Springs is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough with Home Rule Municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule status in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,511 at the 2020 census, down from 2,595 at the 2010 census.
...
in June 1942,/ref> and by June 25, 1944, was serving as a Corporal in Company E,
314th Infantry Regiment
The 314th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the U.S. Army first organized in 1917.
History
World War I
Organized as part of the 79th Division A.E.F. (American Expeditionary Force) – World War I The United States in World War I, ...
, 79th Infantry Division. On that day, at Fort du Roule
The Fort du Roule is a collection of French and German fortifications built in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries on the Roule mountain in Cherbourg (Cherbourg-en-Cotentin since 2016).
The first fortifications were built in 1793 to protect th ...
, Cherbourg
Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...
, France, Kelly repeatedly exposed himself to hostile fire in order to destroy an enemy emplacement and capture its occupants. He was killed in action five months later, after having been promoted to technical sergeant. For his actions at Fort du Roule, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on January 24, 1945.
Kelly died November 23, 1944, and was buried at the Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial
Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial is a United States military cemetery in Dinozé, France. The site rests on a plateau above the Moselle River in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. It contains the graves of 5,255 of the United States' ...
in Épinal, France.
Medal of Honor citation
Kelly's Medal of Honor citation reads:For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On 25 June 1944, in the vicinity of Fort du Roule, Cherbourg, France, when Cpl. Kelly's unit was pinned down by heavy enemy machinegun fire emanating from a deeply entrenched strongpoint on the slope leading up to the fort, Cpl. Kelly volunteered to attempt to neutralize the strongpoint. Arming himself with a pole charge about 10 feet long and with 15 pounds of explosive affixed, he climbed the slope under a withering blast of machinegun fire and placed the charge at the strongpoint's base. The subsequent blast was ineffective, and again, alone and unhesitatingly, he braved the slope to repeat the operation. This second blast blew off the ends of the enemy guns. Cpl. Kelly then climbed the slope a third time to place a pole charge at the strongpoint's rear entrance. When this had been blown open he hurledhand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...s inside the position, forcing survivors of the enemy guncrews to come out and surrender. The gallantry, tenacity of purpose, and utter disregard for personal safety displayed by Cpl. Kelly were an incentive to his comrades and worthy of emulation by all.
See also
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
This is a list of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II. The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recip ...
References
:External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, John D. 1923 births 1944 deaths United States Army personnel killed in World War II People from Crawford County, Pennsylvania United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army non-commissioned officers World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor Battle of Normandy recipients of the Medal of Honor Military personnel from Pennsylvania