Some Gave All - Major Dwayne Kelley

Detective Sgt. First Class Dwayne Kelley











He was killed after bombing in Sadr City on Tuesday. Kelley served three tours of duty, and worked on the State Police Counter Terrorism Unit. (here) He is the first New Jersey State Trooper killed in Iraq.

He was one of the Americans working to restore local government in the former Shiite militia stronghold.

Kelley, who served as a major with the civil affairs unit of the Army Reserve, was a member of the counter terrorism bureau.

“This was his third deployment to Iraq,” said State Police Capt. Al Della Fave. “He was there to help reconstruct the government and help build the communities.”

Kelley’s wife, 21-year-old daughter and other loved ones who gathered at his South Orange apartment said through a trooper posted at the complex that they didn’t want to comment. They were visited by, among others, the State Police superintendent, Col. Rick Fuentes.

State Police Sgt. Guy Packwood, who spent much of today outside the apartment complex, said he’d known Kelley several years. Kelley had volunteered with the Beth-El Masonic Temple in Newark and did work with the Shriners, he said.

“He believed in what he was doing, and he loved doing it,” Packwood said. “If this would have happened to me, I would have wanted him standing sentry.”

A big basketball fan, Kelley often joked that he could have played for the New York Knicks, said neighbor Shan Atkinson, 62, who had known him the past four years.

Whenever she ran into him in the laundry room of the complex, Atkinson said, Kelley playfully asked: “What did you cook for me today?” Kelley’s grandparents were full-bloodied Cherokees, Atkinson said, and she often made him traditional food. He liked Arabic food, as well, she said, noting that she’d made grape leaves for Kelley the last time she saw him.

“He was very nice, very friendly, always smiling,” Atkinson said.

The strapping father of two became a state trooper in February 1988. In addition to serving on the state police terrorism task force, he also worked with the FBI’s terrorism task force in Newark, the captain said. Kelley began his work overseas in November, before the holidays, he said.

He received a valor award for his work in Guantanamo Bay assisting the FBI terrorism task force by interviewing detainees, said Della Fave. Kelley was also awarded for his work in the state police’s auto theft unit.

Kelley was a “tremendous tool” in Iraq, especially because he spoke Arabic, said Della Fave. (here)

The following is a statement from the family of Maj. Kelley, a U.S. Army Reserve civil affairs soldier who was killed in an explosion in Sadr City, Iraq, on Tuesday, June 24:

Our family is very saddened and our hearts are filled with grief. Dwayne was a dedicated and generous person who loved his family and was devoted to serving our nation. We are proud of his courage and his service. Dwayne will always be a hero to us and he will be sorely missed by his family and by his many friends.

Major Dwayne M. Kelley, 48, was a civil affairs officer assigned to the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, stationed in Green Bay, Wis.

He entered the Army in February 1978, and served for three years as a light wheel vehicle mechanic until February 1981. From 1982 to 1985, Maj. Kelley completed his studies at Rutgers University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. He graduated in May of 1985 from the ROTC program, earning his commission as a U.S. Army Reserve second lieutenant in the Ordnance branch.

Major Kelley served as an ordnance officer from his graduation until 1999, when he changed his military occupational specialty to military police. He served as the Headquarters and Headquarters Company Commander for the 2nd Battalion of the 309th Regiment, Fort Dix, N.J., from April 1999 until April 2001.

He was mobilized as a military police officer in October 2001 shortly after Sept. 11, 2001 in support of Operation Noble Eagle. He served two years, with the 2nd Battalion of the 309th Regiment, 5th Brigade, 78th Division (Training Support) at Fort Dix, N.J.

Major Kelley became a Civil Affairs officer in October 2004 and was reassigned to the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion at Fort Dix, N.J., serving as the unit’s executive officer. In 2005, he became the assistant plans officer assigned to the 353rd Civil Affairs Command, Staten Island, N.Y. Maj. Kelley served in this position until his second mobilization in November 2007 with the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion, Green Bay, Wis., where he was serving as their Civil Affairs Team Chief.

His military awards included two Army Reserve Components Achievement Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with bronze hourglass and with “M” (mobilization) device and the Army Service Ribbon.

Major Kelley is survived by his wife, Manita Kelley, and his daughter, Mushirah Kelley, South Orange, N.J.; by his mother, Vera Kelley, Willingboro, N.J.; by his sister Sabrina and brother-in-law David Dalton, Montclair, N.J.; and by his brother, Michael Kelley and sister-in-law Ruth Kelley, Kissimmee, Fla.. (here)

Always remember - and honour - our fallen, and their families.