Location: 3355
Date: 5/3/2007
Rank: Corporal
Branch: U.S. Army
Operation: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Kelly was born June 27, 1985. He was a very adventurous little boy with a free spirit. He was never afraid of anything, willing to try anything and lived for excitement. We always knew he would serve his country it was just a matter of what branch and when. He signed up with the Army Reserves in November 2003; just before he graduated. He went to boot camp at Ft Leonardwood in the fall of 2004 and finished his training to be a heavy equipment operator. Kelly’s unit was currently deployed to Iraq when he finished up his training so he was attached to the Hayden unit; a combat engineering unit. Once he was deployed to Iraq in 2006, he was stationed at Camp Ramadi. Their mission over there was route clearance. They would go out mainly at night to find bombs on or by the roadside and clear them out of the way for the Marines that came up behind them, making the route safe. On the evening of May 3, 2007, Kelly and SSGT Coby Schwab were going to the aid of another truck in their convoy that had been hit with an IED. Unfortunately, there was a secondary bomb planted in the same area that went off when they got out of their truck killing both of them and injuring others. We will always remember Kelly and all those who were willing to give their all in their courageous fight for freedom.