Evening star., 1946-08-26
Colin Kelly Identified
After Years in Grave
AS Unknown Soldier

a Philippine grave marked simply
as that of an unknown soldier, ''
the body OF Colin P. Kelly, jr, the
AAF's first outstanding hero Of
World War II, has been positively
identified and now is buried In a
United States military cemetery in
Manila.
The young Florida pilot, whose
feat of thrice bombing a Japanese
battleship of the Haruna class
helped strengthen the hopes of
Americans in the blacklist days after
Pearl Harbor, crashed to his death
at Mount Arayat, about miles east
of Clark Field, Luzon. while return
ing from a flying mission against
Jap naval units on December 10,
1941.
The War Department last night
revealed how the body Of the first
flyer to be awarded the Distinguished
Service Cross In World War II was
identified and given reburial with
military honors.
Found Near Dead Sergeant.
Capt. Kelly was one OF an eight
man crew of a Bit Flying Fortress
which went out on its final mission
to bomb Japanese naval units. Be-
fore the crash on the return trip,
six of the crewmen bailed out. The
body which now has been identified
as that of Capt. Kelly was found
at the time near the body OF T/Sergt.
William J. Delehanty of Brooklyn,
N. Y. Identification of Sergt. Dele
hanty was made through the SOL
dier's dog tag" which he was wear
ing. There were no Identification
tags found on Capt. Kelleys body.
The two men were first buried
In the post cemetery at Fort Stotsen-
burg, Luzon. Recently, they were
taken to Manila, with the bodies OF
s6 other soldiers, and buried in the
No. i military cemetery in Manila.
Earlier the body of Capt. Kelly
had been tentatively Identified
on the evidence OF Filipino who
had heard an Army sergeant say,
why, that's Capt. Kelly" Fur
ther identification was rendered
impossible at the time because OF
the accelerated progress of the war
and the subsequent loss Of the
Philippines.
Records Carefully Checked.
| When the war ended a careful in
vestigation was started by Graves
Registration Command officers
Records in their possession were
checked against those made during
Capt. Kelly's services in this coun-
try following his graduation from
West Point in 1888. His widow, now
Mrs. j. Watson Pedlow, a resident
of Media, Pa, and his father, Colin
P. Kelly of Madison, Fla, also sup
piled the War Department with
identification information.
The painstaking care with which
the remains of Capt. Kelly were
eventually identified is typical OF
the consideration given every case
where there is a question as to
identity" said Maj. Gen. T. B.
Larkin, the quartermaster general,
charged with administration OF the
American Graves Registration Serv-
ice.
The heroic deed for which Capt
Kelly was awarded the D. S. c.
later developed into Nationwide
demand that he be given the Con-
gressional Medal Of Honor. The
d. S. C. was awarded posthumously
and the young pilot was credited
only with three direct bomb hits
on the japanese battleship although
Gen. Macarthur in a communique
| issued December IL. 194l, con
frmed' the sinking of the % 9,000-ton
battleship.
The late President Roosevelt on
december II aroused American SEN
timent when he made public let
ter he had written to the future
occupant OF the White House.
asking that Capt. Kelly's young son
Wick, be given an appointment to
West Point in honor of his father S
memory, when he became of age.