Contents. Biography Prior to his military service, the youthful Charles Kelly had made his living with a street gang in his hometown of, and frequently got in trouble with the law. Kelly joined the Army in Pittsburgh in May 1942, and by September 13, 1943 was serving as a in Company L,. After voluntarily participating in several patrols on that day, near, he helped to defend an storehouse against attack by forces. He held his position behind the storehouse all night, then took up a position inside the building. When withdrawal became necessary, he voluntarily stayed behind and held the German soldiers at bay until everyone had been evacuated from the storehouse, at which time he withdrew and was able to rejoin his unit. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor five months later, on February 18, 1944.
Oct 20, 2010. A Navy Seal and a Delta Force commando, the later two being the. The lighting is unimpressive at night time, but daylight scenes can look very good. If nothing else, Medal of Honor has very impressive dust and haze.
Medal of Honor citation Kelly's official Medal of Honor citation reads: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 13 September 1943, near Altavilla, Italy, Cpl.
Kelly voluntarily joined a patrol which located and neutralized enemy positions. After this hazardous duty he volunteered to establish contact with a of U.S. Infantry which was believed to be located on Hill 315, a mile distant.
He traveled over a route commanded by enemy observation and under, and fire; and later he returned with the correct information that the enemy occupied Hill 315 in organized positions. Immediately thereafter Cpl. Kelly, again a volunteer patrol member, assisted materially in the destruction of 2 enemy machinegun nests under conditions requiring great skill and courage. Having effectively fired his weapon until all the ammunition was exhausted, he secured permission to obtain more at an ammunition dump. Arriving at the dump, which was located near a storehouse on the extreme flank of his regiment's position, Cpl. Kelly found that the Germans were attacking ferociously at this point.
He obtained his ammunition and was given the mission of protecting the rear of the storehouse. He held his position throughout the night. The following morning the enemy attack was resumed. Kelly took a position at an open window of the storehouse. One machine gunner had been killed at this position and several other soldiers wounded. Kelly delivered continuous aimed and effective fire upon the enemy with his automatic rifle until the weapon locked from overheating.
Finding another automatic rifle, he again directed effective fire upon the enemy until this weapon also locked. At this critical point, with the enemy threatening to overrun the position, Cpl. Kelly picked up 60mm. Mortar shells, pulled the safety pins, and used the shells as grenades, killing at least 5 of the enemy. When it became imperative that the house be evacuated, Cpl. Kelly, despite his sergeant's injunctions, volunteered to hold the position until the remainder of the detachment could withdraw. As the detachment moved out, Cpl.
Kelly was observed deliberately loading and firing a rocket launcher from the window. He was successful in covering the withdrawal of the unit, and later in joining his own organization.
Kelly's fighting determination and intrepidity in battle exemplify the highest traditions of the U.S. Armed Forces.
After receiving the Medal, Kelly toured the country with a group of other infantrymen as part of the Army Ground Forces' 'Here's Your Infantry,' demonstrating various battle techniques and selling. When the tour ended, Kelly was assigned to the Infantry School at,. Kelly received an honorable discharge from the Army in 1945, and the rank of. Post war life Kelly was less successful in his personal life. He opened a on the North Side of Pittsburgh in 1946, but was forced to sell it in 1947 after a downturn in business and a. His wife Mae was diagnosed with that same year, and died in 1951. The cost of the radiation treatments for Mae eventually resulted in Kelly losing his home in.
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In 1952, while travelling across the country campaigning for, Kelly was reintroduced to Betty Gaskin, a young woman he had met while stationed at. The two were married six weeks later, and moved to, Kentucky. In a 1957 interview with, Kelly defended, a captive until that year and was called a turncoat.
Kelly spent most of his life holding down a series of short lived jobs. This, coupled with poor health, led to financial difficulties and problems with. Kelly left his second wife and children in 1961; they were divorced in 1962. In late 1984 Kelly was admitted to Veterans Hospital in Pittsburgh, suffering from kidney and liver failure. He died January 11, 1985 at age 64.
He was buried at Highwood Cemetery in his hometown of Pittsburgh. It should be noted that even though He had a problem with alcohol, his story and legacy have helped many many people achieve recovery. Two local Pittsburgh Alcoholics Anonymous meetings 'Camp Kelly' and ' Oakdale Beginners Group ' have meetings 4 days a week for any one who has a desire to stop drinking. Other honors In 1987, the Oakdale Army Support Element in Oakdale, Pennsylvania was redesignated the Charles E.
Kelly Support Facility. See also. March 20, 1944.
Universal Newsreels. Retrieved February 20, 2012. Levin, Steve (May 31, 1999). Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. ^ Levin, ibid. Mike Wallace (1957).
(TV Broadcast). United States:. Global Security.org.
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Retrieved 2008-11-12. References This article incorporates from websites or documents of the. Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Retrieved 2008-01-25. Medal of Honor citations.
June 8, 2009. Retrieved 2008-01-25. June 30, 1957. Retrieved September 27, 2010. Further reading.
Kelly, Charles E.; Martin, Pete (1944). One Man's War. New York: A.A.
Editor’s Note: This article by Oriana Pawlyk originally, the premier source of information for the military and veteran community. Air Force Master Sgt. Robert Gutierrez isn’t worried about the discord surrounding his Air Force Cross award. “I’m more thankful to be alive actually than anything else,” he told reporters during a briefing at the Pentagon on Wednesday. Gutierrez was speaking at the Defense Department’s “lethality series,” which this week showcased the evolution of battlefield airmen. Over the years, Gutierrez, a combat controller qualified as a operator, combat diver, and parachute jumper, among other specialties, has gotten questions about his 2011 Air Force Cross award, which should be a.
Then-Staff Sgt. Gutierrez was part of a U.S. Army Special Forces and Afghan National Army commando team in Herat province, Afghanistan, when Taliban fighters closed in on Oct. During the four-hour firefight, Gutierrez was, suffering a “gunshot wound to the upper shoulder and triceps muscle, left chest and lateral muscle that resulted in two broken ribs, a broken scapula, softball-sized hole in his back, and a collapsed lung,”. But because he needed his radio, Gutierrez refused to take off his body armor to be treated by medics, instead allowing the medic only to relieve the chest cavity of blood once in a while. He would take in enough air to call in danger-close strikes from and close-air support aircraft.
Only 10 Air Force Crosses and 44 Silver Stars have been awarded to airmen in the Global War on Terrorism. “We are very fortunate to even have someone who’s already up for the Medal of Honor, John Chapman — huge deal for us,” Gutierrez said, referring to Air Force Tech. John Chapman, the combat controller attached to SEAL Team 6 during Operation Anaconda. Chapman died during the mission in Afghanistan in 2002. It has been reported that Chapman, who was believed to be dead, lived for more than an hour after the SEAL team left.
The Air Force has not publicly commented on speculation that Chapman — who received the Air Force Cross for his actions — will have his award elevated. The Office of the Secretary of Defense reportedly has to the Medal of Honor, but there has been no word from the White House. Chapman would be the first airman to receive the award since the Vietnam War. “It’s remarkable,” Gutierrez said, adding that he was very fortunate to have fought alongside a service member who did receive a Medal of Honor for his actions, Army Staff Sgt.
Robert Miller. “I was there for Miller for, so when people ask that question about an award, for me, when you witness it and you see it, it is very difficult to measure yourself against someone’s actions that are so brave that they would sacrifice themselves for everyone to get the mission done,” he said. Miller was leading a team of Afghan and coalition security forces in Kunar Province during a night raid on Jan. 25, 2008, when the team was ambushed by enemy fighters. During the firefight, Miller stayed at the front of the parol returning fire, signaling to his team to break off to save his teammates.
He died during the mission. “How do you measure up to actions so great?” Gutierrez said. “I’ve seen it in real life, and you’re in such awe and thankful for individuals like that.” Gutierrez told reporters Wednesday that his experience has shaped his latest role as the superintendent of standards and evaluation at overseeing training for more than 1,100 students, instructors and support staff.
“Are we training them effectively? Am I giving them everything they need to prepare them to go to war? Have I made them strong enough, fast enough, and resilient enough to sustain a continuous warfighting effort?” he pondered. “All my guys that I go to work with, every single operator that I work with, they all do the same thing,” Gutierrez continued. “To me, honestly, it’s not that big of a deal because we’re just doing our job. We are literally going to work, and there’s more prestige and more honor and more value to go to war with individuals that I got to go to war with and serve my country. “Awards are awards.
What I value more is serving my country,” he said. This story originally appeared on Read more from Military.com. WATCH NEXT.
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