Ova A. Kelley

He left his foxhole to break an enemy position with grenades

Ova Kelley was born at Norwood, Missouri, on 27 March 1914. Known as Art, he entered the United States Army in October 1943. Following training he went to the Pacific and served as a private in Company A, 382nd Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry Division.

Before dawn on 8 December 1944, his company approached the Japanese-held Buri airstrip on Leyte. Fire from troops concealed in bomb craters and a ditch stopped the advance. Mortar fire destroyed one machine gun but did not dislodge the main body of defenders.

Kelley left his foxhole carrying grenades and attacked without waiting for orders. His grenades killed or wounded several opponents and forced others to run. Taking up an M1 rifle and then a carbine, he fired at the retreating men. His example brought the company forward in a charge that destroyed the enemy force and captured its machine guns.

He continued onto the airstrip, where a sniper inflicted a grave wound. He died two days later, on 10 December. His Medal of Honor recognised the initiative that had broken the deadlock and enabled the attack to succeed.

Brigadier General Charles L. Milliken presented the posthumous decoration to his son Jerry at Norwood High School on 7 February 1946. Kelley was buried in Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery near his Missouri home. His service connected a short period in the wartime Army with a decisive act during the liberation of the Philippines.

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Before dawn, near the edge of enemy-held Buri airstrip, the company was immobilized by heavy, accurate rifle and machine-gun fire from hostile troops entrenched in bomb craters and a ditch less than 100 yards distant. The company commander ordered a mortar concentration which destroyed one machine gun but failed to dislodge the main body of the enemy. At this critical moment Pvt. Kelley, on his own initiative, left his shallow foxhole with an armload of hand grenades and began a one-man assault on the foe. Throwing his missiles with great accuracy, he moved forward, killing or wounding five men, and forced the remainder to flee in a disorganized rout. He picked up an M1 rifle and emptied its clip at the running Japanese, killing three. Discarding this weapon, he took a carbine and killed three more of the enemy. Inspired by his example, his comrades followed him in a charge which destroyed the entire enemy force of 34 enlisted men and two officers and captured two heavy and one light machine guns. Pvt. Kelley continued to press the attack onto an airstrip, where sniper fire wounded him so grievously that he died two days later. His outstanding courage, aggressiveness, and initiative in the face of grave danger was an inspiration to his entire company and led to the success of the attack.