On August 30, our Vice President for Development and Strategic Initiatives, Tom Hudner III, had the distinct honor of attending the keel plate signing for the Navy’s future Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyer at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. This ceremony paid tribute to Capt. Thomas G. Kelley, USN (Ret.), a Medal of Honor recipient for his extraordinary heroism during the Vietnam War, and the namesake of the future USS Thomas G. Kelley (DDG 140). (Tom Hudner’s late father was a Medal of Honor recipient from the Korean War and is the namesake of the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), which was also built at Bath Iron Works and Commissioned in 2018. Capt. Hudner and Capt. Kelley were close friends for many years.) During the ceremony, Capt. Kelley assisted Marc Cote, senior welder from Bath Iron Works, to weld his signature onto the keel plate, which will be installed into the ship during construction. “What an honor! I am truly grateful and humbled that Secretary Del Toro chose me to be the namesake of DDG 140. To have the ship built in my backyard makes it more special and is a testament to the work skills of New England men and women. I am so proud of the capability this destroyer will eventually bring to the fleet,” Kelley shared. #USNavy #HonoringHeroes #USSThomasGKelley #MedalOfHonor #ValuesBasedLeadership #MeetYourMoment
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