Compiled and Edited By C. Douglas Sterner

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  HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 1140 (May 15, 1968)
  

*Kelley, William Francis

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to William Francis Kelley, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company D, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division. Staff Sergeant Kelley distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 31 May 1969 during reconnaissance-in-force operations near Tap An Nam. Supported by a troop of armored personnel carriers, his unit was dispatched to outflank a North Vietnamese force that had immobilized a sister unit with heavy suppressive fire. As the reinforcements advanced through open rice paddies, they were suddenly fired upon from a hedgerow to their front. Sergeant Kelley boldly dashed to the hedgerow and attacked the hidden enemy with numerous grenades and devastating rifle fire. His lone assault repelled the enemy troops and permitted the friendly force to break through the vegetation and advance on the main enemy body occupying an abandoned hamlet nearby. Having rearmed himself with grenades, Sergeant Kelley crawled within feet of a hostile trenchline and dropped a grenade on its unsuspecting defenders. Although stunned by the ensuing blast, he quickly rose to his feet and emptied his rifle on the survivors. Then observing that enemy soldiers manning an emplacement some sixty meters distant were placing harassing fire on his unit, he charged the position under heavy fire and, firing his weapon on the run, eliminated their resistance. Staff Sergeant Kelley's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

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  HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 3885 (October 18, 1969)
  

*Kelly, Charles L.

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Charles L. Kelly, Major (Medical Service Corps), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with 57th Medical Detachment. Major Kelly distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 1 July 1964 while flying a medical evacuation helicopter. His extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

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  Department of the Army, General Orders No. 40 (December 11, 1964)
  

Kelly, Donald W.

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Donald W. Kelly, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Troop B, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. Platoon Sergeant Kelly distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 19 April 1969 while leading a platoon on a reconnaissance-in-force mission near Dau Tieng. When a North Vietnamese force opened fire on the troop's tracked vehicles with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, Sergeant Kelly instantly arranged his platoon on line and assaulted the hostile positions directly. As the battle raged, he secured three tanks and directed them to evacuate the wounded from the area. He then continued his assault on the enemy and succeeded in destroying five bunkers and four rocket-propelled grenade positions. Observing the deadly fusillade from a recoilless rifle team, he fired his machine gun on the emplacement to eliminate it. When the troop broke contact with the hostile element, Sergeant Kelly supervised the salvage and withdrawal of disabled vehicles. Platoon Sergeant Kelly's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

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  HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 3491 (September 13, 1969)
  

The is presented to George Thomas Kelly, III, First Lieutenant (Field Artillery), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving an opposing armed force in the Republic of Viet Nam, while serving with Battery C, 6th Battalion, 14th Artillery, I Field Force, Vietnam. First Lieutenant Kelly distinguished himself while serving as forward observer with a Vietnamese battalion near Dak Seang. Lieutenant Kelly's battalion had been engaged with a North Vietnamese Regiment in continuous combat for several days. During the previous night the battalion had been aggressively attacked by the enemy who had moved to within thirty meters of the battalion's perimeter. Only through Lieutenant Kelly's daring and precise artillery adjustment was the enemy attack repulsed. During the early afternoon of 22 April 1970, Lieutenant Kelly led his beleaguered comrades in an attempt to break through the enemy encirclement and reach Camp Dak Seang. After several hours of travel, a bomb crater large enough to be utilized as a landing zone was discovered. A medical evacuation helicopter was immediately summoned by radio. Moments after the helicopter's arrival, the enemy emerged from the tree line and struck Lieutenant Kelly's force again. Because of the intense hostile fire, the heavily laden helicopter experienced great difficulty in taking off. Lieutenant Kelly unhesitantly left the ship to engage the enemy in an attempt to divert their fire and to allow the helicopter to depart. As Lieutenant Kelly maneuvered to one side of the clearing to provide cover fire, he was mortally wounded by enemy small arms fire. First Lieutenant Kelly's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

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  HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 3727 (August 11, 1970)
  

Kelly, Ross S.

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Ross S. Kelly, First Lieutenant (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Airborne Division Assistance Team, United States Army Advisory Group. First Lieutenant Ross distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions while serving as Deputy Senior Advisor and Acting Senior Advisor, 6th Airborne Battalion, Airborne Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam, during the period 14 April 1972 to 21 April 1972. On a combat assault to relieve enemy pressure of the besieged provincial capital of An Loc, the 6th Airborne Battalion immediately engaged numerically superior enemy forces. During this period, Lieutenant Kelly repeatedly exposed himself to enemy small arms and indirect fire while directing friendly airstrikes to within 25 meters of his position. The battalion received intensive enemy indirect fire for several days during which he continually thwarted enemy troop attacks by effectively employing massive air power against their positions. During a nighttime attempt to break out of the enemy encirclement under the cover of B-52 strikes, Lieutenant Kelly succeeded in leading the remainder of the battalion through enemy lines while receiving direct and indirect fire from all directions. Although weak and exhausted, his personal example and forceful urging helped to encourage the battalion to continue over the rough terrain as they used the remaining small amount of ammunition to protect their rear elements against advancing enemy troops. Once again Lieutenant Kelly employed supporting airstrikes and the battalion was successfully evacuated from the area. His leadership, professional knowledge and tenacity in the face of overwhelming odds were directly responsible for saving the battalion from imminent disaster. Lieutenant Kelly's personal bravery and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.

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  HQ US Army, Vietnam, MACV Support Command General Order No. 2438 (October 17, 1972
  

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Neil L. Keltner, First Lieutenant (Armor), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Troop C, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. First Lieutenant Keltner distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 21 November 1966 while commanding the security element of a large convoy near Long Binh. The convoy received intense fire from a large Viet Cong force concealed on both sides of the highway. Lieutenant Keltner immediately moved to the head of the convoy where the danger was greatest, and led them beyond the fire. With all weapons firing, he returned to the killing zone, personally accounting for five insurgent casualties. He constantly directed aggressive maneuvers of his platoon and the removal of damaged vehicles and wounded men from danger. When he received a hit which wounded him in the calf and thigh, and destroyed his communications, he ran through the intense fire to another vehicle to maintain radio contact with all defensive elements. Moving again to the head of the convoy, he called in medical evacuation helicopters and air strikes upon the hostile emplacements. Heedless of the inherent danger, Lieutenant Keltner calmly maintained order on the congested highway, held off the superior Viet Cong force until relief arrived, and prevented the destruction of the whole convoy. Lieutenant Keltner's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

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  HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 7008 (December 23, 1966)
  

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Thomas Kemmer, Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary gallantry in action on 21 November 1970 as a member of an all-volunteer joint United States Army and Air Force raiding force organized by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to conduct a heliborne assault in a heroic effort to rescue United States military personnel held as prisoners of war at Son Tay prison in North Vietnam. After debarking from the assault helicopter which crash-landed inside the prison compound, Sergeant Kemmer aggressively maneuvered to secure and clear his preplanned position. Immediately upon reaching his position, he faced a sudden attack of North Vietnamese soldiers moving from the north area of the compound in an apparent attempt to reinforce the east gate area. With complete disregard for his life, Sergeant Kemmer remained at his exposed and unconcealed position and fearlessly engaged the attacking enemy with his rifle. Sergeant Kemmer then unhesitatingly continued his preplanned task of searching and clearing a key cell block. Sergeant Kemmer's bold and courageous actions were an inspiration to his comrades and contributed immeasurably to the successful execution of the raid. His extraordinary gallantry in action is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit on him and the United States Army.

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  Department of the Army, General Orders No. 43 (August 9, 1971)
  

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Joe A. Kendall, Second Lieutenant (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. Second Lieutenant Kendall distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 4 November 1967 while serving as platoon leader of an infantry company on a sweep operation near Loc Ninh. While struggling through dense bamboo jungle, the lead elements of his platoon came under small arms fire from the front. After quickly deploying his men in a defensive formation and directing their fire in the direction of the enemy attack, he contacted his point elements by radio and directed them to return to the platoon's position. He detected well-concealed enemy firing lanes cut in the bamboo and realized that his scouts would have to cross them to reach his perimeter. Despite the increasing intensity of the hostile barrage, Lieutenant Kendall crawled across the bullet-swept firing lanes, contacted the forward elements, and led them safely back to his platoon's location. As the fight continued, one of his men was wounded and trapped in a lane. Disregarding his personal safety, he moved through a hail of bullets to reach the man and pull him to safety. He was wounded during the rescue but refused aid and continued to direct the actions of his troops. Determining that the Viet Cong were moving from lane to lane, he set up machine guns in momentarily abandoned firing strips to engage the insurgents when they returned. One gunner became separated from his crew, and Lieutenant Kendall dashed through heavy fire to re-supply him with ammunition and encourage the man. As artillery support began to pound the enemy positions, he led the platoon's withdrawal to join the main force in a nearby rubber plantation. His courage and leadership in close combat were a source of inspiration to his men and prevented his platoon from suffering heavy casualties. Second Lieutenant Kendall's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

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  HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 726 (February 16, 1968)
  

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Alton R. Kennedy, Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Private First Class Kennedy distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 17 December 1966 while serving as a medic with elements of the 1st Cavalry Division during a combat assault in the Highway 506 Valley. Maneuvering against an entrenched North Vietnamese Army force, his platoon and another company became pinned down by intense hostile fire. Private Kennedy quickly raced forward and began treating his stricken comrades. Dauntlessly exposing himself to the devastating fire, he was wounded in the leg as he aided a fellow soldier. Unmindful of the pain, Private Kennedy crawled to the side of another man and bandaged his wounds. He then called for men to help in the evacuation and made several trips back through the hail of bullets to carry more injured soldiers to safety. Oblivious to the extreme dangers, Private Kenned left his covered position to retrieve another casualty, who was lying within ten meters of an insurgent bunker. Inching his way through the rounds that were kicking up dirt all around him, he succeeded in dragging the man back to the company perimeter. Pausing only to retard his own bleeding, Private Kennedy ignored requests to await further treatment and courageously reentered the ravaged battlefield. Her crawled forward yet another time, but was fatally wounded a few meters from a hostile machine gun position. His unimpeachable valor and selfless concern for the welfare of others, inspired his entrapped comrades and saved the lives of others, inspired his entrapped comrades and saved the lives of many fellow soldiers. Private First Class Kennedy's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

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  HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 1059 (March 11, 1967)
  

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Herman J. Kennedy, Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces. On 26 July 1964, Sergeant Kennedy was serving as a Special Forces Advisor to a one hundred and ninety man Vietnamese Strike Force patrol. The patrol’s mission was to attack and destroy a well-fortified Viet Cong mountain stronghold. At 0530 hours, the forward element of the patrol, composed of Sergeant Kennedy, another United States Special Forces Sergeant, and four Vietnamese, positioned themselves within ten yards of the insurgent camp to keep surveillance of Viet Cong activity within the outpost and to wait for the main body of the patrol to move into position. Simultaneously, a magazine from a weapon of an advancing member of the main body was dropped and tumbled down the mountainside. Immediately, the Viet Cong opened fire on the advancing group. During the initial burst of automatic weapons fire and grenades, four members of the forward element were wounded. Sergeant Kennedy with complete disregard for his own personal safety, charged through the intense hail of hostile firepower and overran two Viet Cong emplacements, killing the gunners of each position. Despite leg wounds received from punji stakes during the initial assault and notwithstanding the fact that his weapon was out of ammunition, Sergeant Kennedy grabbed one of the dead insurgent’s weapons and killed a Viet Cong grenadier and wounded another insurgent. Although exposed to hostile fire, he continued to direct the attack and personally moved three seriously wounded men to safer positions. He again joined the assault and continued on until the insurgents were routed from the area and their camp destroyed. Sergeant Kennedy’s extraordinary heroism and gallantry in action were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the military service.

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  HQ US Army, Pacific, General Orders No. 117 (April 19, 1965)
  

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Leslie D. Kennedy, First Lieutenant (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company A, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 502d Infantry, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. First Lieutenant Kennedy distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 15 September 1966 while serving as platoon leader of an airborne infantry platoon on a reinforcing mission near Tuy Hoa. When a sister platoon was savagely attacked and pinned down by a numerically superior Viet Cong force firing machine guns and automatic weapons, Lieutenant Kennedy immediately led his platoon to relieve the beleaguered friendly force. Upon arrival at the battle site, his unit made heavy contact with the enemy and was pinned down by intense enemy fire. Lieutenant Kennedy observed a machine gun placing a heavy barrage on his men and began crawling toward its position to destroy the gun. When he had crawled within ten meters of the hostile emplacement, an enemy automatic weapon began firing at him from his left flank. Completely disregarding his own safety, he stood up in the ravaging hail of bullets and charged that position, silencing the weapon and killing two Viet Cong soldiers. The enemy machine gunner detected his actions and immediately unleashed a fierce barrage on him. With bullets striking all around him, he charged across the open battlefield into the face of the enemy weapon and single-handedly destroyed the position and its three occupants with rifle and grenade fire. His fearless leadership inspired his men to spontaneously attack and overrun the determined insurgents, forcing them to flee. First Lieutenant Kennedy's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

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  HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 6373 (December 11, 1967)
  

Home Town: Beatrice, Nebraska

Kent, Alan

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Alan Kent, Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 502d Infantry, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Specialist Four Kent distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 18 May 1967 while serving with an airborne infantry platoon on a combat mission near Duc Pho. His unit was moving to reinforce a heavily-engaged sister platoon when it was fiercely attacked and pinned down by an enemy force firing automatic weapons. Specialist Kent was painfully wounded in the initial barrage, but he refused aid and dashed through a sheet of enemy fire to reach a fallen comrade and carry him to safety. As his platoon attempted to maneuver against the enemy positions, the intensity of the fusillade increased, inflicted several casualties to the friendly forces and caused the unit to pull back. Specialist Kent saw one of the new casualties trapped in the open and moved across the bullet-swept battlefield to aid him. Finding the man dead, he charged into the face of withering fire and destroyed a nearby enemy bunker with deadly rifle fire and grenades. Automatic weapons fire from another position began raking his location, and he assaulted the second emplacement. After being knocked to the ground and wounded by an enemy grenade, he staggered to his feet, continued his charge on the bunker and demolished it. He then conducted a one-man frontal assault on a machine gun bunker. As a hail of bullets cut down brush and kicked up dirt all around him, he fearlessly pressed the attack and silenced the weapon with a hand grenade. His aggressive charge and devastating fire forced the determined enemy to break contact and flee the battlefield. Specialist Four Kent's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

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  HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 911 (February 28, 1968)
  

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Gregory P. Kernahan, Jr., Captain (Corps of Engineers), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with the United States Army Engineer Command. Captain Kernahan distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions while serving as a Convoy Commander near Pleiku and Kontum, Republic of Vietnam, on 6 March 1968. Captain Kernahan's unit was ambushed by a hostile force. His personal courage and inspiring leadership while directing the preparation of the convoy's defense and care for the wounded resulted in a well-organized defensive action. After his vehicle had completely cleared the kill zone, Captain Kernahan voluntarily returned to aid his comrades. He appeared to be oblivious of the intense enemy fire and knew that moving from vehicle to vehicle was extremely dangerous. Leaving the shelter of a dump truck to reach and aid several wounded men, he himself was wounded by small arms fire. As his own wounds were being treated, he continued to give directions as to how the defense was to be established and instructions for the care of the wounded. Almost an hour passed before the evacuation of the wounded commenced. Captain Kernahan directed this action and insisted on being the last evacuated. As a result, he died before reaching the hospital. Captain Kernahan's extraordinary heroism and intrepidity, at the cost of his own life, are in the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflects great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.