Charles E . Kelly Charles E . Kelly ( September 23 , 1920 – January 11 , 1985 ) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in World War II . Kelly was the first enlisted man to be decorated with the Medal of Honor for action on the European continent . Biography . Kelly joined the Army in his birthplace of Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania in May 1942 , and by September 13 , 1943 was serving as a Corporal in Company L , 143rd Infantry Regiment , 36th Infantry Division . After voluntarily participating in several patrols on that day , near Altavilla , Italy , he helped to defend an ammunition storehouse against attack by German forces . He held his position behind the storehouse all night , then took up a position inside the building . When withdrawal became necessary , he voluntarily stayed behind and held the German soldiers at bay until everyone had been evacuated from the storehouse , at which time he withdrew and was able to rejoin his unit . For these actions , he was awarded the Medal of Honor five months later , on February 18 , 1944 . Medal of Honor citation . Kelly ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty . On 13 September 1943 , near Altavilla , Italy , Cpl . Kelly voluntarily joined a patrol which located and neutralized enemy machine gun positions . After this hazardous duty he volunteered to establish contact with a battalion of U . S . infantry which was believed to be located on Hill 315 , a mile distant . He traveled over a route commanded by enemy observation and under sniper , mortar , and artillery fire ; and later he returned with the correct information that the enemy occupied Hill 315 in organized positions . Immediately thereafter Cpl . Kelly , again a volunteer patrol member , assisted materially in the destruction of 2 enemy machinegun nests under conditions requiring great skill and courage . Having effectively fired his weapon until all the ammunition was exhausted , he secured permission to obtain more at an ammunition dump . Arriving at the dump , which was located near a storehouse on the extreme flank of his regiment ' s position , Cpl . Kelly found that the Germans were attacking ferociously at this point . He obtained his ammunition and was given the mission of protecting the rear of the storehouse . He held his position throughout the night . The following morning the enemy attack was resumed . Cpl . Kelly took a position at an open window of the storehouse . One machine gunner had been killed at this position and several other soldiers wounded . Cpl . Kelly delivered continuous aimed and effective fire upon the enemy with his automatic rifle until the weapon locked from overheating . Finding another automatic rifle , he again directed effective fire upon the enemy until this weapon also locked . At this critical point , with the enemy threatening to overrun the position , Cpl . Kelly picked up 60mm . mortar shells , pulled the safety pins , and used the shells as grenades , killing at least 5 of the enemy . When it became imperative that the house be evacuated , Cpl . Kelly , despite his sergeant ' s injunctions , volunteered to hold the position until the remainder of the detachment could withdraw . As the detachment moved out , Cpl . Kelly was observed deliberately loading and firing a rocket launcher from the window . He was successful in covering the withdrawal of the unit , and later in joining his own organization . Cpl . Kelly ' s fighting determination and intrepidity in battle exemplify the highest traditions of the U . S . Armed Forces . After receiving the Medal , Kelly toured the country with a group of other infantrymen as part of the Army Ground Forces ' " Here ' s Your Infantry , " demonstrating various battle techniques and selling war bonds . When the tour ended , Kelly was assigned to the Infantry School at Fort Benning , Georgia . Kelly received an honorable discharge from the Army in 1945 , and the rank of technical sergeant . Post war life . Kelly was less successful in his personal life . He opened a service station on the North Side of Pittsburgh in 1946 , but was forced to sell it in 1947 after a downturn in business and a robbery . His wife Mae was diagnosed with uterine cancer that same year , and died in 1951 . The cost of the radiation treatments for Mae eventually resulted in Kelly losing his home in foreclosure . In 1952 , while travelling across the country campaigning for Dwight D . Eisenhower , Kelly was reintroduced to Betty Gaskin , a young woman he had met while stationed at Fort Knox . The two were married six weeks later , and moved to Louisville , Kentucky . Kelly spent most of his life holding down a series of short lived jobs . This , coupled with poor health , led to financial difficulties and problems with alcohol . Kelly left his second wife and children in 1961 ; they were divorced in 1962 . In late 1984 Kelly was admitted to Veterans Hospital in Pittsburgh , suffering from kidney and liver failure . He died January 11 , 1985 at age 64 . He was buried at Highwood Cemetery in his hometown of Pittsburgh . Other honors . In 1987 , the Oakdale Army Support Element in Oakdale , Pennsylvania was redesignated the Charles E . Kelly Support Facility .