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Capt. Harvey P. Kelley Killed In Vietnam Nov. 20

Son Of Mr. And Mrs. Herman Kuhl Lost Life Thursday

Captain Harvey Paul Kelley, of 3908 North 70th St., Omaha, a son of Herman Kuhl of Blair, was killed in action in Vietnam about 10:00 A.M. last Thursday, November 20th.

Captain Kelley commanded an infantry company and was on a combat mission at the time. His company had been stationed northwest of Da Nang for about five months and had been out on daily patrol during that time. The notifying telegram stated that Capt. Kelley’s patrol encountered a hostile force that morning and Capt. Kelley was killed in the action.

Capt. Kelley was due to be relieved of combat duty and assigned to an intelligence post on December 5.

Harvey Kelley was born November 23, 1937 at Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Irvington High School in 1955. He had joined the National Guard before graduation and was called to active duty in the Army after his graduation. He was assigned to Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, form which he graduated April 7,1964, with a commission as second lieutenant. He was in the upper 10% of his class there.

He was assigned to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he was cited for two years for having the best company on the post, and promoted to first lieutenant.

He went to Vietnam in 1966 as an American advisor to the Vietnamese Rangers. He had completed one tour of duty there and was promoted to captain. After a tour of duty at Fort Benning, he was sent back to Vietnam in command of Co. A, 18th Infantry regiment of the 1st Infantry Division. This was his command at the time of his death.

Survivors are his wife, Mrs. Yvonne Kelley of Omaha and three daughters, Terri, Ronda, and Robin, aged from 12 years to 16 months. Also surviving are his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Kuhl, who live south of Blair, and four brothers: Tom Kelley of Omaha, John Kuhl of Lincoln, now a second lieutenant in the Army, Ronald Kuhl, Eddie Kuhl, and Gary Kuhl of Blair. His grandmother, Mrs. Paul Seebacher of North Little Rock, Arkansas also survives him.

Enterprise 4 Dec 1969

Services For Capt. Kelley Held Monday

Funeral services were held Monday for Capt. Harvey P. Kelley, whose death in Vietnam on Thursday, November 20th, was detailed in the November 27th issue of The Enterprise. Capt. Kelley was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Kuhl of near Blair.

The deceased soldier’s body arrived in Omaha Saturday, November 29th and services followed on Monday at the Kremer Funeral Home in Benson. Burial was made in the Evergreen Cemetery.

Capt. Kelley was on his second tour of duty in Vietnam and he was in command of Company A, 18th Infantry regiment of the First Infantry Division.

Survivors are his wife, Mrs. Yvonne Kelley of Omaha and three daughters, Terri, Ronda, and Robin, aged from 12 years to 16 months. Also surviving are his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Kuhl, who live south of Blair, and four brothers: Tom Kelley of Omaha, John Kuhl of Lincoln, now a second lieutenant in the Army, Ronald Kuhl, Eddie Kuhl, and Gary Kuhl of Blair. His grandmother, Mrs. Paul Seebacher of North Little Rock, Arkansas also survives him.

WWW.NO-Quarter.org – Vietnam casualty Search Page

Casualty Record for Harvey Paul Kelley

Home: Omaha, Nebraska

Birth Date: 1937-11-23

Sex: Male Race: Caucasian Married Religion: Lutheran & Missouri Synod Citizen: Yes

Service: Army Rank: CPT Serial Number: 508441844 Component: Reserve Grade: 03 MOS: 1542 Length of Service: 14 Start of Tour: 1969-06-20

Casualty Date: 1969-11-20 Casualty Type: Hostile, Died Reason: Multiple Fragmentation Wounds Air or Ground: Ground Casualty Country: South Vietnam Province: Binh Duong Posthumous Promotion: No change Body Recovered: Body recovered Location on The Wall: Panel 16W-Row 100

Ref No: 25261 Processed Date: 6911

Note: Buried at Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, USA; Find a Grave #5370180.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~