Thomas G. Kelley

Thomas Gunning Kelley (born May 13, 1939) is a retired Captain in the United States Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War. From 2003 to 2011 he served as Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services.

Biography
Kelley is a graduate of Boston College High School, Class of 1956, and the College of the Holy Cross, Class of 1960.

Born on May 13, 1939, in Boston, Massachusetts, Kelley later joined the Navy from that city. He served in Vietnam as a lieutenant in command of River Assault Division 152, part of the Mobile Riverine Force. On June 15, 1969, he led eight river assault craft boats on a mission to extract a U.S. Army infantry company from the bank of the Ong Muong Canal in Kien Hoa Province, South Vietnam. During the extraction, the convoy came under attack from a hostile force on the opposite bank and one of the boats suffered a mechanical failure which prevented it from raising its loading ramp and getting under way. After ordering the other boats to form a defensive line around the disabled craft, Kelley maneuvered his own boat to the front, between his men and the enemy, and engaged the hostile force. He received a severe head wound when a rocket struck near him, penetrating the boat's armor and spraying shrapnel in all directions. Although unable to stand or speak clearly, he continued to relay directions to the convoy, with the help of one of his sailors, until the crippled boat was repaired and the group was able to move out. Kelley survived his wounds and was subsequently promoted to lieutenant commander and awarded the Medal of Honor.

Despite the loss of one eye during this action, he requested to remain on active duty, and eventually retired with the rank of captain in 1990.

After retirement from the Navy, Kelley worked as a civilian in the Department of Defense for several years before returning to Boston. He became commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services in April 1999 and was named Secretary of that department in August 2003. In December 2010, he retired from public service.

Medal of Honor citation
Kelley's official Medal of Honor citation reads: