After earning a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) in 1970, Jack Kelly enlisted in the Marine Corps. He had a few months before he reported for boot camp; so he went to Vietnam as a correspondent for the Lavine Newspapers, a small chain of dailies in Wisconsin.

The series of articles he wrote from Vietnam won first prize in Wisconsin UPI's feature competition for that year.

Mr. Kelly followed enlisted service in the Marine Corps with service in both the Marine reserve and the Army reserve, where he was the intelligence officer for a Special Forces company.

Mr. Kelly served as a deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force during the Reagan administration.

He was called to active duty at the Pentagon during the Gulf War and concluded his military reserve career as a major assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Mr. Kelly, 53, joined The Blade staff in 1995. Now living in Pittsburgh, he reports on military matters for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Blade, and writes a nationally syndicated column.

First Published July 8, 2001, 12:46 p.m.