Fallen soldier will be laid to rest
MCCANDLESS TWP, Allegheny County — A Pittsburgh native who died fighting for his country in North Korea more than 66 years ago is finally being laid to rest.
Cpl. Daniel Francis Kelly died on March 31, 1951, at age 18 as a prisoner of war in the People's Republic of North Korea, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
His remains, recovered in 2002, were positively identified earlier this year. They were flown by airplane and escorted by an Army honor guard from Hawaii to Pittsburgh on Monday.
His surviving nieces and nephews, some of whom live in Butler County, will have visitation and bury his remains with military honors this week.
The Kelly family has a strong military tradition, said Dan H. Kelly of Butler Township, who was given his first name in honor of his uncle.
“You can't ask one family to give any more than they gave,” he said.
Daniel F. Kelly was the youngest of nine brothers, all of whom served in the military and seven of whom were on active duty at the same time during World War II.
His older brother, Charles “Chuck” Kelly, also known as “Commando Kelly,” received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions near Altavilla, Italy, in 1943 while fighting in World War II and received a parade when he returned home to Pittsburgh.
The youngest Kelly was so eager to join the Army that he got his brother Chuck to sign a release, allowing him to enlist at age 17, his nephew said.
“This boy idolized his brothers so much, he wanted to join the service like them,” he said.
Kelly was reported missing in November 1950 during the Battle of the Chongchon River in North Korea. His family received a letter signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower informing them of his presumed death.
His fate was a mystery until 1953, when a soldier who was returned in a prisoner exchange told military officials that Kelly had died in March 1951 in “Death Valley,” an infamous prisoner of war camp.
His remains were recovered in 2002 by a joint effort of U.S. and Korean forces in Unsan County, North Pyongan Province, according to the DPAA.
Though the last of the Kelly brothers died in 2012, two of them had given DNA samples to the Army in 2005, which were stored and eventually used to positively identify his remains, said Kelly's niece, Cheryl Gentile of Valencia.
“I was very surprised,” Gentile said about getting the news earlier this year. “I was elated because I knew that every one of his brothers would be so happy.”
Gentile, the oldest living descendant, was 3 when her uncle died.Though she doesn't have any memories of him, she heard stories from her mother and other family members.“She used to tell us that Danny was the handsomest one,” she said.Six of the nine Kelly brothers had children and there will be at least one member of each family present for the burial this week, Gentile said.She said the family will receive friends, fellow veterans and members of the community from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Sperling Funeral Home, 700 Blazier Drive, McCandless Township.The family welcomes any veterans or families with a connection to the Korean War to attend the visitation.“It's nice to share stories with the ones who have found (their missing family members) and for the ones who haven't, it gives them hope,” Gentile said.The family is also donating his medals and other artifacts from the military to the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in Pittsburgh.He will be buried with full military honors Thursday at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville, Allegheny County.There are 7,727 Americans who are still unaccounted for from the Korean War, though the DPAA is working to identify remains.“I want to thank the Department of Defense and all the men and women serving on active duty that made this event happen,” Dan H. Kelly said about his family getting closure.“Welcome home, uncle Dan. The circle is now complete. Nine boys and they're all home,” he said.Kelly's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing monument in Honolulu, Hawaii, and a rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for, according to the DPAA.
