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General recalls Korean War hero from Homestead
Tuesday, May 30, 2000 By Milan Simonich, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
It's a shame that John D. Kelly isn't known as Homestead's hero.
Brig. Gen. John L. Patten started a campaign yesterday to change that.
Part of Patten's reason was that Kelly's story began and ended almost exactly 48 years ago -- on May 28, 1952. The other factor was that what Kelly did still moves Patten.
A Marine private from Homestead, Kelly was a radio operator in Korea. With his platoon pinned down by vastly larger forces, Kelly asked for permission to leave his radio in the care of another man so he could assault key enemy strongholds.
Given approval, Kelly single-handedly raced at two bunkers occupied by machine gunners. He killed five enemy soldiers and was grievously wounded himself.
Even so, he charged and destroyed a third bunker. Kelly died on the battlefield as his unit overran the enemy. He was just 21 years old.
For his bravery, Kelly posthumously received the Medal of Honor, America's highest award for bravery.
Before traveling to Elizabeth, Patten reacquainted himself with Kelly's story by reviewing his Medal of Honor citation. He asked the 900 people at the Elizabeth ceremony to join him in trying to raise public awareness of Kelly's deed.
"Had we not stood against communism in Korea, I fear the world would be a different place today," Patten said after his speech.
Kelly's bravery against impossible odds was part of that effort.
"He's one of my heroes," Patten said. "It's important that we keep him fresh in our minds."
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