Brightwood Boys, The History of the Men from
the North End of
Springfield, Massachusetts,
During World War II
by Christopher P. Montagna
CHAPTER 14
USS PRINGLE
On May 29, 1944, LCDR John Lawrence Kelley, the Brightwood Boy from Holland Street assumed command of the USS Pringle (DD477). The USS Pringle, a 'Fletcher' class destroyer, was commissioned September 15, 1942.
John Lawrence Kelley graduated from Technical High School and then attended Cochran-Bryant preparatory school from which he graduated with distinction in 1933. He entered the Naval Academy in the fall of 1933 under appointment from Senator David Walsh. In his first year, John Kelley was awarded a gold star for his scholastic standing. His extracurricular activities at Annapolis included crew and basketball. After graduating form Annapolis he was assigned to the battleship USS Arizona.
In 1943, John Kelley ran five convoys in the Atlantic conducting submarine warfare. He also participated in the invasion of Casablanca and Sicily. Prior to joining the Pringle, he attended radar school in San Francisco. John Kelley was married to the former Martha Reid of Riverside, CA.