Nigel D. Kelly, 26

I will never forget Nigel's bright smile, his sweet shyness and his love of basketball. As a parent and the mother of an Afghanistan veteran, my heart is broken for Nigel's family. He is an honored hero and I will never forget his service and sacrifice. Thank you, Nigel.
~ Robin Evans, Palm Springs

Dear Nigel

I met you in December 2004 in California when I was only seventeen and you were nineteen and a Private in the U.S. Army. I fell in Love with you immediately and we stayed together for 5 years. I had the pleasure to be your fiance and be by your side while you served in Iraq for two years. No matter what happened, I never stopped loving you. You were my first love, my best friend and the greatest man I've ever met. I'm glad that I could make you happy for the 5 years that I was yours. I hope you know that I never forgot about you and never will. I waited for you to come back home to me. But now that I know that you will never come back, all I can hope for is that one day, I will come to you. I will always Love You Sgt. Kelly.
Yours Always...

SSG Kelly,

The first time I ran across you all i could say was "this guy is tall". I got the chance to meet at our battalion in hawaii, when i found out you passed away my heart was broken.I got the pleasure of seeing your ramp ceremony and i saluted you on your journey home. now you can rest and be in the arms of your father in heaven. So i say this rest on my friend and to your fiance and family my heart goes out to you he was and still a great leader.

While not my place to speak for all who knew him, the TCHS Class of 2003 mourns the death of Nigel Kelly. And thanks him, for all he did for us and our country. Our prayers to the Kelly family and his fiance. We will see you again.

Our hearts are broken over the loss of such a fine young man. Our family sends prayers and love to the Kelly family. We are honored to have known you, rest in peace.

Thank you Nigel for your service to this great country. And while we weren't all that close I graduated from the class of 2002 at TCHS and rooted for you for two years as you played basketball and I was a cheerleader. You were the sweetest and most kind guy on the team and your spirit always shined bright on and off the court. My prayers and thoughts go out to your family and friends that loved you. You will never be forgotten.

I remember you so well, playing Basketball at TCHS. You were such a gentle and polite young man and your parents were so very proud of you! You were always so kind to the younger players (my son amongst them!) You are a hero in every sense of the word. Rest in peace with Jesus and my deepest sympathies and prayers are with your mom, dad, brother and other family members.

I had the honor of knowing you as a Soldier and friend. You were a leader in every sense of the word but at home you were the kindest man. All of the people whose lives you have touched will never be the same without you. Your wife, Catia, loves you dearly and is working hard to ensure that you will never be forgotten. Please watch over her and your family as they go through this because they are having a difficult time. I will pray for you , your wife and family as this journey continues.

R.I.P. Nigel - A wonderful friend, a great basketball player and a TRUE HERO.

Nigel i love you and i miss you bruh all the fun times we had the bachelor party, the jet skiing,the bbq's, the wedding, the movies nights with the wives.. and yes i said wives because there seems to be some confusion on this newspaper blog with a fiance or something but let me assure you all that on March 5 2011 he was married to Catia Maria and i know this because i was there, i was his best man.... Now that thats cleared up Nigel you were and will always be a good friend. I hate that the lord interuppted our plans but i rest on knowing that you are in a better place. Until we meet again kell Rest In Peace Hill

To the Kelly Family:
As a friend and neighbor, I speak from my heart when I say Nigel was a picture perfect son, soldier and young man. The kind of gentle soul you only wish your son to grow up to be. Having sat at the dinner table with this family and knowing first hand how loving and supportive they are to everyone they meet, my heart and soul is crying. I don't feel as though I've lost a neighbor, I feel like I've lost a family member. To Kevin and Sonia, I know how proud you are of Nigel. He's a direct reflection of the two of you. Nathan, your brother was a hero and was so lucky to have a great brother like you. To Catia, may God give you the comfort you seek and great understanding. Your husband would have given you a long and happy life. Finally, to his fellow soldiers, his journey with you in Afghanistan is not over; he's now an angel watching over you until your safe return. It was an honor and a priviledge to know you Nigel. We miss you so much already. You may be gone from this earth, but you will never, ever be forgotten.

R.I.P Nigel, My prayers go out to your wife and Mon, Dad, Brother, you were one of my close friends, I remember we would always joke around in school, and when we graduated in 2003 we got to hangout alot before you left to boot camp, The whole time I was thinking was I wish I could've enlisted with you. you will be greatly missed, theres no 1 like you at all. R.I.P

i was selected to be part of ssg Kellys team to go and help support another unit the afternoon in which we were executing the mission we had begun receiving enemy contact i have never followed SSG Kelly before nor did i ever ask him for help or advice but that afternoon he gave me the best advice i would ever receive from any leadership figure . SSG kelly told me,"Go shoot your weapon man". and i followed his words to the letter
i didn't know SSG Kelly very well all i knew was who he was and what he was capable of and from what ive seen him do and by how he represented Aco he is a SAPPER, he is THE STANDARD.

I went to Elsinore high and we use to play basketball at the canyon lake park, We are the same age and you and your brother would play usually on the same team. I'll miss you Air Canada.

Andrew J Cummins

I met Nigel years ago when we both lived in Saudi Arabia. We were 13 and instantly became friends. Over the years we stayed in touch and our friendship had the amazing capability of continuing on thru everywhere life was taking us. He was also positive and supportive of the things I was trying to achieve. Nigel- you had a wonderful heart and spirit, and I truly hope to see you again one day.
A friend always,
Christy Morgan