DOB/DOD: October 1, 1943 (Bethel, CT) – present
MARITAL STATUS: Married Carol D. Haviland (1942-2002) on October 4, 1969, in Bethel, Connecticut.
CHILDREN: Two sons, Allan J. III (1967-) and Aaron [U.S. Army Ranger] (?-). Three daughters, Tanya (1972-), Meagan Kellogg Soderholm (1979-), and Maile (1986-). Two stepdaughters Rhonda Haviland (1962-) and Kristin (1964-).
FAMILY: Born to Allan J. Sr. (1907-1969) and Sarah E. Blaney Kellogg (1915-1966). Three sisters, Marie M. Kellogg Williams Schneeburger (1938-), Edna G. Kellogg Fox Frank (1941-2020), and Mary Ann Kellogg Williams (1946-). One brother, Richard C. [U.S. Army] (1947-).
DECORATIONS: Also the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal with V device for valor, the Purple Heart Medal with two devices, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with two devices, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal with 9 devices, the National Defense Medal with one device, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with four devices, Korean Defense Service Medal, Vietnamese Military Merit Medal, Vietnam Gallantry Cross with silver star, Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Medal, Vietnam Civil Actions Unit citation, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.
MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS DURING: Vietnam War
BRANCH OF SERVICE: Marine Corps
UNIT: 1st Marine Division (Rein.) (FMF), 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, Company G
AGE ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT: 26
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Gunnery Sergeant Allan Jay Kellogg, Jr. (MCSN: 1927666), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a platoon sergeant with Company G, Second Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in connection with combat operations against the enemy on the night of 11 March 1970 in Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam. Under the leadership of Gunnery Sergeant Kellogg, a small unit from Company G was evacuating a fallen comrade when the unit came under a heavy volume of small arms and automatic weapons fire from a numerically superior enemy force occupying well-concealed emplacements in the surrounding jungle. During the ensuing fierce engagement, an enemy soldier managed to maneuver through the dense foliage to a position near the Marines and hurled a hand grenade into their midst, which glanced off the chest of Gunnery Sergeant Kellogg. Quick to act, he forced the grenade into the mud in which he was standing, threw himself over the lethal weapon, and absorbed the full effects of its detonation with his body, thereby preventing serious injury or possible death to several of his fellow Marines. Although suffering multiple injuries to his chest and his right shoulder and arm, Gunnery Sergeant Kellogg resolutely continued to direct the efforts of his men until all were able to maneuver to the relative safety of the company perimeter. By his heroic and decisive action in risking his life to save the lives of his comrades, Gunnery Sergeant Kellogg reflected the highest credit upon himself and upheld the finest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
Presentation Date and Details: October 15, 1973, the White House, presented by President Richard M. Nixon
From the Banner (St. Elmo, IL) November 4, 2003
TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
The Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, is also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and has never been officially named. The Tomb of the Unknowns stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, D.C.
On March 4, 1921, Congress approved the burial of an unidentified American soldier from World War I in the plaza of the new Memorial Amphitheater.
The white marble sarcophagus has a flat-faced form and is relieved at the corners and along the sides by neo-classic pilasters, or columns, set into the surface. Sculpted into the east panel, which faces Washington, D.C., are three Greek figures representing Peace, Victory, and Valor. Inscribed on the back of the Tomb are the words: HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD
The Tomb sarcophagus was placed above the grave of the Unknown Soldier of World War I. West of World War I Unknown are the crypts of unknowns from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Those three graves are marked with white marble slabs flush with the plaza.
THE UNKNOWN OF WORLD WAR I
On Memorial Day, 1921, four unknowns were exhumed from four World War I American cemeteries in France. U.S. Army Sergeant Edward F. Younger, who was wounded in combat, highly decorated for valor, and received the Distinguished Service Medal in “The Great War, the War to End All Wars,” selected the Unknown Soldier of World War I from four identical caskets at the city hall in Chalons-sur-Mame, France, October 24, 1921.
Sergeant Younger selected the unknown by placing a spray of white roses on one of the caskets. He chose the third casket from the left. The chosen unknown soldier was transported to the United States aboard the U.S.S. Olympia. Those remaining were interred in the Meuse Argonne Cemetery in France.
The Unknown Soldier lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda from his arrival in the United States until Armistice Day, 1921. On November 11, 1921, President Warren G. Harding officiated at the interment ceremonies at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery.
THE UNKNOWNS OF WORLD WAR II AND KOREA
On August 3, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill to select and pay tribute to the unknowns of World War II and Korea. The selection ceremonies and the interment of these unknowns took place in 1958. The World War II Unknown was selected from remains exhumed from cemeteries in Europe, Africa, Hawaii, and the Philippines.
Two unknowns from World War II, one from the European Theater and one from the Pacific Theater, were placed in identical caskets and taken aboard the U.S.S. Canberra, a guided-missile cruiser resting off the Virginia capes. Navy Hospitalman 1st Class William R. Charette, then the Navy’s only active-duty Medal of Honor recipient, selected the Unknown Soldier of World War II. The remaining casket received a solemn burial at sea. Four unknown Americans who died in the Korean War were disinterred from the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. Army Master Sgt. Ned Lyle made the final selection. Both caskets arrived in Washington on May 28, 1958, where they lay in the Capitol Rotunda until May 30.
That morning, they were carried on caissons to Arlington National Cemetery. President Eisenhower awarded each the Medal of Honor, and the Unknowns were interred in the plaza beside their comrades from World War I.
THE UNKNOWN OF VIETNAM
The Memorial Bridge, leading from Washington, D.C., to Virginia, is lined with a joint-service cordon as the remains of the Vietnam War Unknown are taken by a motor escort to Arlington National Cemetery for interment in the Tomb of the Unknowns.
The Unknown service member from the Vietnam War was designated by Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Major Allan Jay Kellogg, Jr. during a ceremony at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, May 17, 1984.
Transported aboard the U.S.S. Brewton to Alameda Naval Base, California, the remains were then sent to Travis Air Force Base, California, on May 24. The Vietnam Unknown arrived at Andrews Air Force Base the next day.
From the Honolulu Star-Advertiser October 5, 2012
At age 15, Allan J. Kellogg Jr. wanted to do two things — “get tattoos and be a MO-reen.” Today, the Medal of Honor recipient has done both.
Kellogg, a current Kailua resident and a native of Bethel, Connecticut, joined more than 50 Medal of Honor recipients in Honolulu for the 2012 Medal of Honor Convention events this week.
Kellogg said he was very impressed by the Kaneohe Bay Air Show, which he and other recipients attended on Saturday, and also attended a ceremony at the National Memorial of the Pacific on Wednesday, dedicated to all fallen Medal of Honor recipients.
Born on October 1, 1943, Kellogg attended Bethel High School for only two years before enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1960. He has been stationed in various places, including Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., as part of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., as part of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment.
As a Staff Sergeant, Kellogg was deployed to the Republic of Vietnam. On March 11, 1970, while leading a platoon of nine in Quang Nam Province, Kellogg and his fellow Marines encountered a booby trap. The trap wounded three of his men and killed one.
A helicopter evacuated the three wounded, but the platoon was told another would arrive for the deceased due to limited space.
“It started getting dark out, and the area I was in was no place to be after sundown,” Kellogg said.
The platoon later found itself in an ambush of 45 to 50 enemy forces attacking with multiple weapons, from machine guns to rocket-propelled grenades.
“They were closing in on us,” Kellogg said. “They snuck up on me and reached over the dike and dropped a grenade right in my lap.”
Kellogg remembers shouting “GRENADE!” and attempting to smother it by forcing it down into the mud. When it detonated, he lost consciousness.
When he came to, Kellogg remembers breathing in the mud of the paddy he had fallen in, moaning quietly for help, thinking he was going to die. But in the end, Kellogg made it out of Vietnam and was awarded a Medal of Honor for his actions.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Jon Gangloff of Friendswood, Texas, called Kellogg an “exceptional individual.”
Gangloff was Kellogg’s company commander in the 4th Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, in Okinawa, Japan. He said Kellogg always made himself available to support junior Marines.
“He never used excuses,” Gangloff said. “He was always a first-class individual.
He’s still helping Marines today … I think he deserves a lot of credit for that.”
In 1990, Kellogg retired after serving as 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade Sergeant Major when the brigade was headquartered in Hawaii.
That same year, Kellogg became a permanent resident of Hawaii. Of his 30 years of service, he said he was most proud of having earned his rank as a senior enlisted leader.
In 1995, he started working as a benefits counselor at the local Department of Veterans Affairs.
He said he chose to work for the VA to continue what he did in the Corps, which was helping veterans and people in need.
Now 69 years old and a widower with seven children, Kellogg is an incarcerated veteran’s re-entry specialist and also does homeless veteran outreach. He supports homeless veterans with food, clothes, identification cards, and more.
Kellogg said the average veteran he supports is around 61 years old, and some turned to drug and alcohol abuse. He said the most rewarding aspect of his job is when a veteran released from jail manages to quit drugs and alcohol and transition successfully into society, though it doesn’t always happen.
“I can only do so much for a homeless veteran and an incarcerated veteran,” Kellogg said. “At some time, the veteran has to take a step forward and help himself.”
For retired Sergeant Major Robert W. Holub, Kellogg has been a support system both in and out of the service. Holub, a Sergeant Major of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific until 2001, said he frequently sought Kellogg’s advice.
“When I first made Sergeant Major, I wanted an infantry battalion in the worst way,” said Holub, 56. “He said, ‘No matter what job you get, do your best. Take care of your Marines.”
While supporting Marines, Kellogg was also always straightforward with his peers. Holub called Kellogg an example of “the utmost in professionalism.”
“If you weren’t cutting the mustard or if you weren’t living up to the standards of the staff noncommissioned officer, he’d come down on you,” Holub said. “By God, you always knew where you stood with him.”
Kellogg also interviewed Holub at the VA when he retired from the military.
Today, as Kellogg continues his work at the VA and attends various ceremonies such as Medal of Honor Convention events.
“He didn’t quit taking care of Marines when he retired,” Holub said. “He still takes care of them every day.”
But it’s not every day a service member is able to meet a Medal of Honor recipient. For those currently serving in the military or who hope to be in the military someday, Kellogg shared these words with the Hawaii Marine.
“Keep your act together and be prepared for whatever might happen. You never know what might be around the corner.”
END