Medal of Honor: Jonah E. Kelley – World War II – Germany – January 1945
Wounded, bleeding, and fighting one-handed, he refused to stop. House by house, grenade by grenade, he broke the last German defenses—at the cost of his life.
February 3, 2026
Name: Jonah E. Kelley
Rank: Staff Sergeant
Organization: U.S. Army
Unit: Company E, 311th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division
Place: Kesternich, Germany
Entered Service At: Keyser, West Virginia
Born: Roda, West Virginia
Summary of Action
During the bitter fighting for the German village of Kesternich, Staff Sergeant Jonah E. Kelley led the assault squad of Company E in savage house-to-house combat against well-entrenched enemy forces. On 30 January 1945, he spearheaded repeated attacks through intense mortar and small-arms fire, personally leading his men against barricaded buildings.
Early in the fighting, S/Sgt. Kelley was wounded twice—first by a bullet in the back and later by a mortar fragment that passed through his left hand, rendering it nearly useless. Refusing evacuation, he continued to lead his squad after only hasty dressings were applied. Forced to fire his rifle with one hand, he braced it against rubble or his injured arm. When grenades were needed, he set aside his rifle and pulled the pins with his teeth, throwing the explosives with his remaining good hand.
Despite his severe wounds, S/Sgt. Kelley relentlessly pressed the attack. He stormed one house, killed three enemy soldiers, and cleared the way forward. Approaching another building, he was fired upon from an upper window; he killed the sniper with a single shot, then immediately killed another enemy attempting to escape from the cellar. As night fell, he organized defensive positions for his squad and again refused medical aid.
At dawn on 31 January, the assault resumed. When intense automatic fire halted the advance, S/Sgt. Kelley moved out alone and killed an enemy gunner concealed beneath a haystack. Returning to his squad, he found the attack stalled by a German machinegun in a fortified house. Ordering his men to remain under cover, he charged forward by himself through a storm of bullets.
Struck repeatedly and collapsing to his knees within 25 yards of the objective, S/Sgt. Kelley gathered his remaining strength and emptied his rifle into the machinegun position, silencing it before dying from his wounds. His sacrifice shattered the final enemy resistance in Kesternich and enabled his company to complete its mission.
Medal of Honor Citation
His serious wounds forced him to fire his rifle with one hand, resting it on rubble or over his left forearm. To blast his way forward with hand grenades, he set aside his rifle to pull the pins with his teeth while grasping the missiles with his good hand. Despite these handicaps, he created tremendous havoc in the enemy ranks. He rushed one house, killing three of the enemy and clearing the way for his squad to advance. On approaching the next house, he was fired upon from an upstairs window. He killed the sniper with a single shot and similarly accounted for another enemy soldier who ran from the cellar of the house.
As darkness came, he assigned his men to defensive positions, never leaving them to seek medical attention. At dawn the next day, the squad resumed the attack, advancing to a point where heavy automatic and small arms fire stalled them. Despite his wounds, S/Sgt. Kelley moved out alone, located an enemy gunner dug in under a haystack and killed him with rifle fire.
He returned to his men and found that a German machinegun, from a well-protected position in a neighboring house, still held up the advance. Ordering the squad to remain in comparatively safe positions, he dashed into the open and attacked the position single-handedly through a hail of bullets. He was hit several times and fell to his knees when within 25 yards of his objective; but he summoned his waning strength and emptied his rifle into the machinegun nest, silencing the weapon before he died.
The superb courage, aggressiveness, and utter disregard for his own safety displayed by S/Sgt. Kelley inspired the men he led and enabled them to penetrate the last line of defense held by the enemy in the village of Kesternich.
