Po Kouji
Charles E. Kelly was awarded the Honorary Medal with glory and money in the war, but life fell into post-war deadlock.
On September 14, 1943, at a house in the village of Altavilla, about 51 km off the Italian coast of Salerno, Charles E. Kelly made an unbelievable feat when he single-handedly killed 40 German soldiers in less than an hour.
Kelly was awarded the Honorary Medal on March 11, 1944 Photo: US Army
A day later, Kelly became the first American soldier on a European battlefield to be awarded the Honorary Medal, the highest honor awarded to American soldiers, with the record of destroying more enemy troops.
Charles E. Kelly was born on September 23, 1920 to a family of 9 children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Kelly enlisted in 1942 and soon proved to be undisciplined when he once fled the unit and was locked in solitary confinement.
In 1943, Charles E. Kelly was the first soldier of the US 36th Army Division.
When the Americans set up a bridgehead on the beach, it was time for the Germans to counterattack and retake Altavilla village.
In this battle, Kelly volunteered to crawl over 3 km under enemy fire to report the German defensive position on a hill near the village.
Later that day, Kelly and 30 teammates were sent to the village chief Altavilla to assist in defending the village.
Kelly alone stands before the overwhelming force of the opponent.
While the enemy bombarded violently, Kelly went to the kitchen to eat 4 raw eggs and drink a bottle of champagne to fight.
That night, American soldiers in the house were ordered to withdraw.
Shortly thereafter, Kelly was promoted to corporal and sergeant.
Kelly was awarded the Honorary Medal, two Silver Star medals and a few brave medals during the fighting in Italy and England, but never took them seriously.
Kelly at the front line in Italy after being promoted to sergeant Photo: US Army
Upon returning to the US in April 1944, Kelly was welcomed as a hero.
"I speak five times a day. My task is to call people to buy war bonds and say good things about the 37 mm cannon at a cost of $ 6 per day," Kelly said.
Kelly was paid $ 25,000 by 20th Century Fox, or $ 325,000 today, to make a film about his life.
"Commandos Kelly" became rich with employment and business opportunities that many people dreamed of across the United States.
After the honors, Kelly's life quickly plummeted.
On March 11, 1945, a year after receiving the Medal of Honor, Kelly married Mae Francis Boish, a restaurant clerk.
This is not the only veteran that is difficult to adapt to civilian life after the war.
In 1950, Kelly's wife got uterine cancer and died after a year, leaving two children for his care.
Kelly met and married a woman named Betty Gaskins and continued to face challenges in everyday life.
In April 1961, he left home after calling his wife, pledging to establish a trust for her and her children, and told her family not to look for her.
During her time away from home, Kelly became increasingly addicted to alcohol and did all the seasonal work for a living before being hit by a car crash and lethargic for nearly a year due to a traumatic brain injury.
In 1984, Kelly died alone in a hospital in Pittsburg, where he treated kidney and liver failure after 40 years of heavy alcoholism.
