It seems that Madison's historical significance is always growing, as it is a town pulled together by threads of a rich history that shines through even the simplest of places or people. Take Madison County resident Marianne Graves, who works at the Madison County Chamber of Commerce, for example. Her family background is just chock-full of history. Although he passed away years ago, Graves' father, William “Bill” Maurice Kelly, took part in one of largest battles in American history. 610,000 American men were involved in the battle. There were 89,000 casualties, including up to 19,000 killed. Graves lives on today to tell her father's story; however, she never heard anything about the war growing up and only discovered her father's sacrifice to his country later in life. Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Nov. 14, 1924, Kelly served in the Battle of the Bulge, the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II. At the age of 19, Kelly served in the 1st Infantry Division in the U.S. Army, one of the oldest continuously serving divisions in the Army, for two years. “It was an eventful two years,” said Graves. Because of his efforts during the Battle of the Bulge, Kelly received the Purple Heart. “[My dad] had a bomb blow up in front of him,” recalled Graves. During the war, Kelly recovered from his injuries, along with frostbite, in England. “In the old days, [the soldiers] went through horrible events,” said Graves. “Nobody realized how dramatic the war was.” She recalled how her father woke up in the middle of the night to one of his good friends frozen solid next to him. “That was one of the reasons why he hated the cold,” said Graves. “He wasn't injured too badly, but he was injured emotionally.”
After his recovery was over, Kelly was shipped off on a ship called the Taylor that was headed to Japan in August of 1945. However, fate stepped in that day, and over the ship's intercom buzzed a sentence every soldier had been wanting to hear since the war started: “Japan surrenders!” Many soldiers wondered what would happen next, and their questions were answered on Aug. 15, 1945 as the captain's voice boomed over the intercom. “All of a sudden, the captain's voice comes on over the intercom and says 'I've got some news for you boys. The war is over. We're heading back to New York,'” said Graves. On Aug. 18, 1945 Taylor arrived at the New York Harbor as the very first troop carrier to arrive after the war. Graves is grateful that the announcement came over the intercom. “I wouldn't be here,” said Graves. “It was God's grace to let [the soldiers] have a break from all those horrible events of the war.” Kelly celebrated the end of the war and ventured away from his home in Pennsylvania to seek out sunny California.
“It was [my father's] dream to go to California,” said Graves. Kelly got as far as Ohio and married his first wife, Martha, in 1952; they were married until 1970 and together had two children: Michael “Mickey” Kelly and Marianne (Kelly) Graves. Martha passed away in 1970 when Graves was 17 years old. Two years later, in 1972, Kelly married his second wife, June, and the couple moved to Pinetta, Fl. from Hollywood, Fl. in 1977. Kelly’s marriage to June revealed a side of him that Graves and her brother had never known about. “I never knew anything about the war,” said Graves. “My stepmom was the one who got it out of [my father] because she asked a lot of questions. He had nightmares throughout their entire marriage. In the 70s, he was diagnosed with PTSD.” Kelly was diagnosed with myeloma in his 80s and went to the Veteran's Hospital in Lake City, Fl. He had to have his leg amputated. Kelly passed away August 4, 2007. His funeral was held at Unity Baptist and Pastor Murrell Bennett led the service. Graves remembers her father as a “sweet, fun-loving guy” and feels proud that she is a child of a Battle of the Bulge survivor. She is especially proud of her father for making the sacrifice he did. “He sacrificed some of his piece of mind,” said Graves. Graves is very grateful for the sacrifice that her father and many of the others who have served made. “We are free for that reason and we should never take that for granted,” said Graves.
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1. Photo Submitted. William “Bill” Kelly fought in the Battle of the Bulge, the largest battle fought by the United States in World War II.
2. Greene Publishing, Inc. Photo By Selina Iglesias, November 3, 2015. Marianne Graves holds a shadow box containing war medals earned by her father, Bill Kelly, during WWII.