PRIVATE FIRST CLASS
JOHN DOREN KELLY, USMC (DECEASED) 
 

Medal of Honor Citation

Private First Class John D. Kelly, who gave up college to enlist in the Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict, was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic action on 28 May 1952 against the Communist aggressor forces in Korea during which he fell mortally wounded.

John Doren Kelly was born 8 July 1928 in Youngstown, Ohio. Soon afterwards his family moved to Homestead, Pennsylvania, where he attended grade school and high school. He graduated from high school in 1947, and was attending Arizona State College, prior to entering the Marine Corps.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps in August 1951, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Following his initial training at Parris Island, South Carolina, he was transferred to Camp Pendleton for further training prior to joining the 1st Marine Division in Korea.

Private First Class Kelly served as a radio operator with Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, before meeting his untimely death.

Korean War Medal of Honor