John J. Kelly
John Joseph Kelly (born June 24, 1898 in Chicago , USA ; died November 20, 1957 ) was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps . He was awarded the Medal of Honor twice for his service in the First World War and the bravery he showed .
Life
John Joseph Kelly was born in Chicago on June 24, 1898 . On May 15, 1917, he enrolled in the United States Marine Corps . After his basic training, his unit, as part of the American Expeditionary Forces , was shipped to Europe in 1918 to take part in the fighting of the First World War in France.
In France he fought, among other things, in the Battle of St. Mihiel and during the Meuse-Argonne offensive . During this he attacked the opposing front line alone, crossed 100 yards (90 m) open area, switched off a machine gun nest and returned to his own lines with eight prisoners. For this act he was awarded both the Medal of Honor of the US Army and the Medal of Honor of the US Navy . The award was made personally by General John J. Pershing .
In addition to the Medal of Honor , he was also awarded the Croix de guerre (twice), the Medal Militaire and the Croce al Merito di Guerra in France .
Kelly left the Marine Corps on August 14, 1919. He died on November 20, 1957 at his birthplace. At the time of his death, he was the last living Medal of Honor holder to receive this award twice.
Honors
- Medal of Honor (US Army)
- Medal of Honor (US Navy)
- Croix de guerre (twice)
- Medal Militaire
- Croce al Merito di Guerra
- Montenegrin Silver Medal for bravery
swell
- ↑ Award text of the Medal of Honor to John J. Kelly www.homeofheroes.com, accessed on January 15, 2016.
- ↑ Background information on John J. Kelly on the Naval History and Heritage Command website www.history.navy.mil, accessed on January 15, 2016.
- ↑ Background to John J. Kelly on the website of the United States Marine Corps Division ( Memento of the original from January 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. www.mcu.usmc.mil, accessed January 15, 2016.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kelly, John J. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kelly, John Joseph |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American soldier (USMC), two-time Medal of Honor holder |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 24, 1898 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chicago , United States of America |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 20, 1957 |
| Place of death | Chicago , United States of America |