Fallen Heroes of Operation Enduring Freedom

"To Michaels' Family:
We cross over your son's bridge every day. We stopped and read his plaque. I wanted to learn more about your son so I am here. We will think of him and his family every time we cross over his bridge. I hope and pray your family remembers all the wonderful memories Michael left for you. A hero for us, a loving son, brother for you. Our hearts will smile as we see him every day. God bless Michael and his family."
Melanie White/Kim Luque of Scituate, MA USA

"My name is Keith, and I am one of the 3/7 FA 13R guys you replaced at Shkin. I stayed in the room at the end of the little ally next to the chow hall in the Alamo, but had already gone back Bagram to ets by the time you guys got there. Im so sorry you lost your life there, and even though we never met, I think about you allot even to this day and always will. I had unloaded that same ring so many times before, and I just am so sorry you lost your life.
Thank you for your service and sacrifice. I will never forget."
Keith G of Agawam, MA

"Just wanted to say I'm thinking of you Mikey."
Shadow

"Miss you and Hernandez so much, you guys are great I wont and will not replace you guys, miss ya. Your parents are awesome."
peter of 1724 east 1316th st fowler ill 62338

"Michael to this day every time June 8th pops in my mine you are always in my thoughts. I pray for your family and know that you forever be remembered."
Chris H of CA Radar Section

"SGT Kelly family. eight years pass away and I still remember Michael Kelly. My section was one of the radar section deployed with Kelly to Afghanistan in 2005. We share a lot of good moments with Kelly and he always told us his desire to visit us in Puerto Rico once our deployment ended. Unfortunately our God had another plan for our young friend. Kelly will never be forgotten and it was a honor to serve in Afghanistan with him.
SSG Ortiz Jose A Puerto Rico Army National Guard"
Jose A Ortiz of San Juan Puerto Rico

"SGT Kelly and family I could of saved you I did 17 dust offs before I couldnt do any more, I prayed to god take mine instead of yours, you where the most dedicated devoted person and soilder i ever served with, Im so sorry I miss ya guys so much, see ya in the good house of the lord, //Kelly I drive a Semi now your plastered all over it."
peter of 1724 east 1316th st. fowler ill 62338

"Just met your brother and he told me your story. I was honored to assist him in folding your parent's flag. Your memory and sacrifice will endure."
michael of Boston,MA

"To the Kelley family. I ran the Jeffery Coombs road race today..they asked us to wear a ribbon of a fallen soldier...I picked your son Sgt Michael Kelley and I was proud to do so...I carried him and he carried me. I will pray for him forever now"
Kathi Lee DeMinico of Hanson Ma

"I served with your son , I was there when he screamed pete look out he saved me and many more, I miss him so much, as a ssg I feel im responsible for him I let him and his family dowm, he was such a strong and giving soilder, his team and soilders I served with was a sacrifise my family and I dont take lightly, PLEASE IF YOU NEED ANYTHING CALL ME AT 217-779-3797 or 217 936 3182 we miss Kelley SO MUCH ssg stodgel med retired, love ya"
peter of mendon ill

"Michael, I served with you, I was there, I'm still there with you mike, I haven't forgotten and you my freind, I will never forget. Do you remember how annoyed you'd get when the army would always misspell your last name. They would always skip the last "e" in Kelley, you would always say to me "Dammit, I'm Irish, don't they know this by now"..it was funny to us both at the time. Yeah, I remeber my freind and you..I shall never forget..I miss you Mike."
Staff Sgt, Peter Wiggins(Ret) of Springfield Ma.

"Mike sorry!
To the Kelley's on this eve of the 5th Anv... he is always in my thoughts."
SFC O'Neill of Ft Bliss, TX

"We miss you Mike."
- Hagan of Pembroke, Ma

"To the family of:Michael J. Kelley I am so sorry for the loss of your love one. My heart cries out for you in your grief. He died a hero defending freedom and we are so grateful for anyone defending our freedom.
Know that I am praying for the peace of God that surpasses all understanding for you and that one day we will all meet in Heaven where we will rest in the arms of Jesus.
If you need someone to talk to or someone to pray with please call my Pastor at Gateway Community Church, Reverand John Pearrell 11677 Brown Bridge Rd Covington Ga. 30016 Phone 770- 787- 1015 (fax)770-787-8215.Your friend in Jesus Christ, Polly Ballew"

"My name is Sunny. Two years ago my husband and I went on a motorcycle ride for the IL Freedom Run with our club to support and pay respects to our fallen troops. Replica dog tags were purchased and I received one with the name of KELLEY MICHAEL JASON on it. We'd like to send our condolences to his family and friends... God Bless"
Sunny of Joliet, IL/USA

"October 14, 2007
To the family of Sgt. Michael J. Kelley:
Michael gave the ultimate sacrifice and will be held in the hearts of Americans forever. I cannot and will not let our fallen heroes be forgotten. My deepest sympathy to you. "Some gave all."
Peggy Childers
"Don't Let The Memory Of Them Drift Away"
www.IraqWarHeroes.org"
Peggy Childers of Nevada

"To the Kelley Family,
I have also lost a son in The War on Terror.I know there is nothing I can say to make you feel better but I am proud of his sacrifice for all us that he left behind and my prayers go out to all of you.
Sincerely, Kathy Khan"
Kathy Khan of Salem,Ma.

"Michael,
I would like to say thank you to you and the other soldier who was killed in that attack for your service and sacrifice for our Country. And to your family, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.

"Vincere Est Vivere"
(To Conquer Is To Live)101st FA Motto"

"To Michael J. Kelley's Family,
I never knew Michael but just reading all the memories that people have written about him I can tell he was a very special solder. God Bless him and his family you will be in my prayers. Thanks Mike for helping the USA."
Bev Noonan of Knoxville, TN.

""Memorial Day" 2006
"MICHAEL J. KELLY"
"THANK YOU I WILL NEVER FORGET""
Ellen Thomas of Burbank, IL

"I only knew you for a short time but, you left a lasting memory. God Bless"
Shannon Romano of Otis A.N.G.B

"To the Kelley family, I just want you to know that we did everything we could to save Michael. There isnt a day that goes by that I dont think about that horrible event. I was there with your son to the end. I just wanted to say that I am sorry for your loss and that your son is a true hero."
JC of VA

"As a mom of five young children, I am so grateful for the sacrifice of this brave solder Michael J. Kelly. You are loved by many. Words can not express the emotion. He payed the ultimate price for our freedom. May God be with his family in this time of sorrow and may you find comfort in the fact that we think about Michael sacrifice for the love of his country. May we NEVER forget! Thank you!"
Jill Hughes of Houston TX"

"Happy Birthday(9/2) Mikey.....Your headstone is beautiful, I'm so happy that you were able to have it in time for your birthday. I truly believe that you are watching over us, sometimes I can just feel you there. We will never forget all the wonderful memories we have of you. You will always be 'forever in my heart' I'm so lucky to have been loved by you.....Kim 143 forever!!!
p.s.I hope you enjoyed the bud lite."
Kim of Sagamore Beach MA

"To the Kelley family, my deepest condolences. You raised a wonderful young man. Michael thank you so much for everything you have done for me and always being there for me no matter how tough things got. All my love."
Amy DellaPosta of Naples, FL (Otis AFB)

"ARMY SGT MICHAEL J. KELLEY -
You are an American Hero whose ultimate sacrifice will not be forgotten by a grateful nation. Rest well brave Soldier. My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Michael and may memories comfort you always during this most difficult time.
AMERICA SALUTES SGT MICHAEL J. KELLEY"
D. BURT of PORTSMOUTH, RI

"To the Kelly Family, I wish to extend my deepest condolences on the loss of Michael. What a fine young man you raised. Michael is a true American Hero who will always be rememberd and honored. May God Bless all of you."
Mary Ghaney of Brooklyn, New York

"To the Kelley I am sorry for your lose of a good friend. Mike and I work on the cape cod mission and i can remeber the jokes and his smile every day i say him. We had alot of good times together and there are a lot of people who will miss him. Mike I will keep u and your family in my thoughts and prays and i will remeber all the good times we had together."
SRA Kevin M Sprissler of Otis ANGB, MA

"Mike, although we worked with you at the market and thought we knew you pretty well, this past week and the many tributes we have read have given us an even better understanding of who you really were; a sensitive soul who cared about others. We often refer to the movie "With Honors" in our home. Its' story line puts into perspective what is important in life, not necessarily success in academics or financial gain, but rather relationships with others. You seem to have what my family strives for, you have graduated from life "With Honors" The world is a better place because you walked through and touched so many people. God Speed Mike"
Cathy Smith of Weymouth Ma.

"To the family and friends of Michael,
May God bless and keep all of you at this difficult time. Michael is truely a hero and will be in our prayers."
Eileen Mann of Taunton, MA

"Friends,
Thank you for posting your messages here for my brother. My family is extremely upset and sad but at the same time so proud of Mike. I will miss him so much and may his spirit live in us all.

Please go here to see other postings for Michael:

http://www.legacy.com/Legacy.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=14198714

With Love,
Shawn"
Shawn Kelley of Cavendish, VT

"Mike thank you for touching the lives of so many. You will be missed by your friends and their families."
Father of a Soldier Friend of MA.

"hey mikey , your spirit will live for ever in our hearts and our minds . give JC the chicken dance ! miss you already bro ."
SGT . Chris Solbo of Foxboro, MA ... in bayji , iraq w/ Littlefield

"To Michael's Family and Friends:
Our thoughts and prayers are with you during your time of sorrow. We wish to express our deepest condolences for the ultimate sacrifice your loved one has paid. He is a hero and gave his life for our freedom. Mike was a great soldier and friend to so many. He will be greatly missed. "We will never forget""
42nd DivArty FRG of Rehoboth, MA, US

"To Michael's Family and Friends:

On behalf of the Blanco-Caldas family, we send our sincerest condolences. We share the same loss ... the same pain. Our son returned safely from Afghanistan, only to lose his life in Iraq. Our prayers are with you in this most difficult time and we thank you for your soldier's bravery and sacrifice.

By His Grace,

Gloria Caldas
Proud Mother of Fallen Hero
Capt. Ernesto "The Big Ern" Blanco-Caldas
82nd Airborne, KIA Iraq 12/28/2003
San Antonio, Texas
gcaldas48@aol.com"

"Mike,
I didn't get a chance to know you personally, but I hear you were a heck of a guy. You'll be remembered by so many people, for who you were and what you sacrificed. We will never forget, and we look forward to seeing you again someday."
K. Bennett of Massachusetts

"To The family and friends of Sgt. Kelley:
It saddens me to read that Shkin,Afghanistan has claimed the life of yet another Massachusetts soldier trying to make the world a safer place.My son PFC. Evan W. O'Neill was killed in action 29Sept.2003 also in Shkin.My thoughts and prayers are with you during these extremely difficult days and hope that in time the darkness will be replaced with all the good memories that you remember so well.And I hope it will bring you some comfort to know that Michael is with three of his "brother's in arms" that gave their lives in the same location fighting the war on terrorism;Fuller and Thomas in August 2003 and Evan in Sept.2003.
He is in great company,and safe,I'm sure it's a heck of a reunion!"
Barbara O'Neill(Cindergirl911@aol.com) of Haverhill,Mass.

"To the family of Michael Kelley
I was sorry to read about your son and all my prayers are with you now and always as Michael is now safe in Ft. Heaven. My son PFC Adam L. Thomas was stationed at the base in Shkin in 2003 on his second tour in Afghanistan. He was KIA 8-31-03 while on a mission in the mountains(he was a sniper) Adam helped build that base that they would call the worst place to be in the world. Be proud of Michael as he was making our world a safer place and I know he is with my son and all the other hero's. May you have faith through this long journey of grief.
Proud Army Mom
1-87 HHC 10th Mountain
FT. Drum, NY
Ellenethomas@comcast.net"
Ellen Thomas of Burbank, ILLINOIS

"Mikey,

We'll always have our memories of you from the Cape mission. I can still picture you laying an egg with the volleyball and wearing your gore-tex suit for what, about 4 months straight?? Mike, instead of being sad, I plan on remembering all the good times we had together down the cape. You were probably the funniest person I've ever known and I thank you for making me laugh, as well as so many other people. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. Keep a couple cold one's ready for us up there."
SGT Steve Littlefield of Bayji, Iraq

"We Will NEVER FORGET !"
Please KNOW so many people share your sadness, and we are remembering your family in your loss and your deep grief. Your HERO, Michael will be remembered by name. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. God Bless you ALWAYS. Pat & Sandi Breckenridge from Montana "

"Thank you Michael Kelley, you will not be forgotten. Your bravery goes beyond words. I want to express my deepest gratitude for your sacrifice. To the family and friends, my prayers and deep condolences in your loss. May God strengthen you from knowing that fellow Americans and people around the world care about you and grieve with you in your loss. God bless you all. A very appreciative fellow American,"
Leo Titus of Grayslake, Illinios

"To the family and friends of Sgt. Michael Kelley:
May God's grace be with you during your time of grief. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and we feel your loss and share in your sorrow. Bless Michael for the sacrifice he has made to make a better life for the rest of us."
The Ford Family of Wells, Nevada

"To the family and friends of Sgt. Michael Kelley:
I am saddened by the loss of your loved one. He will always be remembered as a hero for fighting for freedom. I hope that this website will be a source of comfort and encouragement for you during this difficult time, and in the future as you recall the memories of Michael, who continues to live on in your heart."
Tim Rivera of Powder Springs, Georgia