An Irishman, named Tom Kelly, was one of those brave young individuals who joined the United States Army in the sixties.   Kelly wasn’t born in America; he grew up over 4,000 miles away in Ireland and moved to America when he was in his twenties.   But not being an American citizen did not stop him from fighting next to his adopted countrymen. Like many other immigrants, Kelly put on the uniform of his adopted country after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.  Shortly after the tragedy, Kelly offered to serve during the Vietnam War to help stop the spread of communism at a time when immigrants holding a green card were allowed to enlist in the service.   Kelly was part of the all-volunteer 173^rd Airborne Brigade from 1965 to 1966.  The 173^rd Airborne Brigade was one of the first major ground combat teams of the US Army to serve in Vietnam.  At the peak of deployment, the Brigade was comprised of almost 3,000 soldiers.

Now living back in Ireland, Mr. Kelly makes annual trips back to the United States and has been a longtime member of the American Legion.  Specifically, Mr. Kelly devotes his time as Director of the Irish Veterans Memorial, an organization which plans on renovating a church in the center of Athlone, Ireland to serve  as a “living” memorial to all the Irish men and women who served proudly during the Vietnam War.   Rightly, the organization wants to  ensure that those who gave their lives to fight for the American forces are never forgotten.

Recently, Brian Kelly, co-chairman of the board for Acitivision Blizzard gave a remarkable donation of $50,000 to CODE.   Justly, his resources were donated in honor of his uncle, Tom Kelly, to help other veterans who have followed him and answered their own call of duty. To all those who came to America after their birth and served in the United States military, we thank you.  Your time of service and the challenges you faced as veterans can never be repaid.  But with organizations such as Tom Kelly’s Irish Veterans Memorial and CODE, we hope that your sacrifices will never be forgotten and eternally honored.