We had the honor of welcoming back Thomas G. Kelley – Secretary of Veterans’ Services for Mass., Vietnam Veteran and Medal of Honor receipient.
Thomas G. Kelley was born and raised in Boston. After graduating from Boston College High, he attended the College of the Holy Cross, graduating in 1960. Secretary Kelley entered Navy Officer Candidate School and spent the next thirty years as a Surface Warfare Officer, with several tours in Destroyers and staff duty in Washington, Japan, and Korea. He retired from the Navy in 1990, worked for the Defense Department as a civilian for a short time before returning to Boston. He was sworn in as Commissioner of the Department of Veterans’ Services in April 1999 and as Secretary in August 2003.
Secretary Kelley’s Medal of Honor citation reads in part,
His extraordinary courage under fire, and his selfless devotion to duty sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
Read the whole thing. Incredible.
We talked about the difference in how the country views the military between now and Vietnam, the need for more mental health assistance for soldiers, his participation in the most recent Medal of Honor ceremony honoring Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, only the third in the entire Iraq and Afghanistan wars. How committed is Mr. Kelley to helping veterans? He gave out his personal phone number over the air and told a calller to contact him directly is her issue wasn’t resolved.
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