U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson was in Citrus County today to posthumously award Army Specialist Fourth Class Donald Kelly the Bronze Star Medal.

Nelson spoke during the regular county commission meeting at the Citrus County Courthouse in Inverness.

Army Specialist Four Kelly was awarded Bronze Star for his service during the Vietnam War as a member of Charlie Battery, 2d Battalion, 17th Artillery Regiment. After his unit was attacked Sp4 Kelly, according to his medal citation, "immediately took action, with little regard for his own personal safety, and repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire while defending the Battery Command Post."

Sen. Nelson said that Kelly was a humble man. "His family said he was very soft-spoken," Nelson said.

"It was his lieutenant in Vietnam who contacted us. This particular Bronze Star was first discovered after he died by finding in his lock box in the bank the application for the Bronze Star," Nelson said. He added that the lieutenant, now a retired Army colonel, sent the paperwork that was found in the lock box and rounded up eyewitnesses.

That retired colonel wrote to Sen. Nelson:

"On April 3, 1968, I was a lieutenant assigned in the Republic of Vietnam. During a North Vietnamese Army attack against our battery, I witnessed Sp4 Kelly exposing himself repeatedly to enemy fire. When the enemy attacked, he engaged them at close range, killing several of them. (During the fight) his right arm was wounded and (his) M16 was destroyed. When his weapon was destroyed, he began looking around for another weapon. Later that night, I saw (him) loading M16 ammunition magazines and handing them to soldiers who could still shoot," the colonel wrote.

Kelly's medal was accepted by his daughter, Jaimie Petellat of Citrus Springs.

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