On October 3rd, 1918 Marine Pvt. John J. Kelly, attached to the 6th Marines near Blanc Mont Ridge, France, ran 100 yards through his own artillery barrage in advance of the front line and attacked an enemy machine-gun nest, killing the gunner with a grenade, shooting another member of the crew with his pistol and returned through the same artillery barrage with eight prisoners. For his actions, he was awarded both the Army's and Navy's Medal of Honor, on top of his 4 Silver Stars for other actions.
The circumstances of Pvt Kelly's Medal of Honor decoration were unique. It was pinned on his chest by General John J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief, American Expeditionary Force, while Pvt Kelly was with the Army of Occupation. With him in line, waiting for other decorations were U.S. Army Major Generals Dickman, Muir, Haan and Hines. He passed away in 1959 and at the time of his death, the last surviving of the 19 two-time MOH recipients. #marines #stayzero #zerofoxtrot