An unidentified soldier salutes the flag-draped casket of retired MSgt. Blanche Kelley, who was buried with military honors Monday at Woodlawn Cemetery in Westbrook. Robert Lowell / American Journal
Decorated retired Army MSgt. Blanche Kelley displays her medals last year. File photo
Westbrook veterans salute Monday during military burial honors for Blanche Kelley. Robert Lowell / American Journal
Retired MSgt. Blanche Kelley, 94, was buried with full military honors Monday in Westbrook’s Woodlawn Cemetery.
Kelley, a Westbrook resident, died Nov. 23.
An Army honor guard fired a rifle salute, a soldier played “Taps,” and a large contingent of local veterans paid their respects.
Kelley, an Indiana native, enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps in 1950 and was first assigned to the Pentagon’s motor pool in Washington, D.C. She served as a chauffeur, driving some top military brass including Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, Gen. Douglas MacArthur and French President Charles de Gaulle. She also met Presidents Harry Truman and John Kennedy.
She went on to become the Army’s top female recruiter, earning the Army Commendation Medal. She also was once named WAC of the year.
Kelley retired in 1973 and was a member of the American Legion Post 62 in Westbrook for more than 50 years.
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