He served in the Korean War at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, and he retired in 1971 as a Major in the Air Force and a Squadron Commander.

[2][1] Kelly was born in High Point, North Carolina and at an early age his family moved to Lynchburg, Virginia.

Kelly started as a Technical Sergeant and eventually earned a commission at Lackland AFB in 1955, in San Antonio as a First Lieutenant.

[2] In the Korean War, Kelly earned medals for evacuating wounded Marines at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.

[2] In 1959, he married a single mother (Sally) and became a stepfather for her daughter and later had a son, Thomas Edward Kelly.