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Charles E. Kelly

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Navy
  • Unit of Service: United States Naval Hospital; USS Rutland (APA 192); Beach Battalion B
  • Location of Service: Pacific Theater; Asia; Oceanside, California
  • Highest Rank: Pharmacist's Mate Third Class
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/4541

View full service history

"I would use my newly cultivated navy vocabulary to delay their departure until as many walking wounded and stretcher cases were loaded as possible." (Memoir, page 12)

The fortunes of Naval Pharmacist's Mate Charles Kelly took a dramatic turn when he was assigned to a Navy Beach Party that was to be among the first to land on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. On that bloody first day, U.S. forces suffered over 2400 casualties; the next morning, Kelly relates in his memoir, "The bodies were packed so tightly you could hardly see a place where they were not touching in death." Kelly illustrated his memoir with vivid drawings of bravery and unflinching portraits of the agony of death. He also pays tribute to the tenacity of the enemy; in all his time on Iwo Jima, he saw only one Japanese soldier taken prisoner.

[ Photo Album ]

More Resources

[ Services Rendered During Amphibious Landing [July 11, 1945] ]
[ Notice of Separation From U.S. Naval Service [April 28, 1946] ]
[ Iwo Jima Eternal Memories: Journal and Illustration by Charles E. Kelly ]
[ [Illustrated memoir] The Memory Book: Shipboard Humor- By C. Ed Kelly ]
[ Illustration "Eternal Memories" by Charles E. Kelly ]
[ Illustration "The Gates of Hell" by Charles E. Kelly ]

Show more resources (10)

[ Illustration "Uncontested Decision" by Charles E. Kelly ]
[ Illustration "The Conformation" by Charles E. Kelly ]
[ Illustration "Fallen Comrades" by Charles E. Kelly ]
[ Illustration "The Unseen Thief" by Charles E. Kelly ]
[ Illustration "The Human Lottery" by Charles E. Kelly ]
[ Illustration "Next V.P. Out" by Charles E. Kelly ]
[ Illustration "The Cruelest Wound" by Charles E. Kelly ]
[ Illustration "Hold That Boat" by Charles E. Kelly ]
[ Illustration "Underestimated Resolve" by Charles E. Kelly ]
[ Illustration "A Cheer For Old Glory" by Charles E. Kelly ]

About this Item

Title

  • Charles E. Kelly Collection

Names

  • Kelly, Charles E.

Home State

  • California

Headings

  • -  Kelly, Charles E.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Navy.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Navy
    • Unit of Service: United States Naval Hospital; USS Rutland (APA 192); Beach Battalion B
    • Location of Service: Pacific Theater; Asia; Oceanside, California
    • Highest Rank: Pharmacist's Mate Third Class
    • Dates of Service: 1943-1946
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served on inactive duty from 09/22/1943 to 09/29/1943 as stated on military papers.

Materials

  • Manuscript: Memoirs [2 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Photograph: Digital print [1 item] -- Portrait (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Creative works [1 item] -- Handwritten document (collected 2002)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/4541

Cite as

  • Charles E. Kelly Collection (AFC/2001/001/4541), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Kelly, Charles E. Charles E. Kelly Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.04541/.

APA citation style:

Kelly, C. E. (1943) Charles E. Kelly Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.04541/.

MLA citation style:

Kelly, Charles E. Charles E. Kelly Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.04541/>.