South Brunswick Veteran Gets Street Sign Named In Honor For Service To US Navy

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ - On Saturday, May 17th, South Brunswick Township held a Veteran Street Sign Dedication Ceremony honoring Robert L. Kelly.

The intersection of Sand Hills Road and Sand Forest Drive was named after Kelly for his distinguished and enduring service to the nation and South Brunswick.

Family, friends, and neighbors joined Mayor Charlie Carley, Deputy Mayor Ken Bierman, Councilwomen Patty Germain, Jo Hochman, and Archana Grover; VFW Post 9111 John Backovsky, American Legion Post Commander Jimmy Chin, and the SBPD Honor Guard for the ceremony.

Kelly enlisted in the Navy on Feb. 27, 1961. He received basic training at the U.S. Naval Training Center - Great Lakes in Chicago, Illinois. He was then transferred to the U.S.S. Plymouth Rock (LSD-29).

From September 1961 to February 1965, LSD-29 was actively involved in several significant operations - the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Mediterranean Deployments including one from May to October in 1963, Caribbean Cruises throughout 1964, and Operation Steel Pike I off the coast of Spain in late 1964.

These deployments highlight the ship’s versatility and Kelly’s service during a critical period of the Cold War.

Kelly achieved the rank of Boatswain’s Mate Seaman (BMSN). He was the Coxswain in charge of the captain’s boat, its navigation and steering and on high alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He went through extensive training to become proficient in seamanship and boat handling.

Honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy on Feb. 25, 1965, BMSN Kelly earned the Navy Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Foreign Expeditionary Service Medal.

He is a life member of VFW Post 9111 in Kendall Park and served as the Post Commander from 2016 to 2023

Born in New Brunswick on Jan. 11, 1943, Kelly has been a resident of South Brunswick since 1971. He first lived in Kendall Park, then in Dayton, and now he and his wife, Linda, reside in Monmouth Junction.

The Veteran Street Sign Dedication program recognizes local veterans for their military service during times of conflict.

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