FAIRBURY - He grew up in California and has lived in Southeast Nebraska since returning home from serving with the Special Forces in Vietnam. November's Jefferson County Veteran of the Month is Ron Kelly.

Kelly grew up near Anaheim, California in the '50s and was drafted into the Army in 1967. Basic training permitted him enough free time to marry his wife Peggi, and after six months of training in Texas he was sent off to Vietnam in 1969 when their daughter Tracey was just two weeks old.

Both of them were able to be present for Tuesday's ceremony but, Kelly remembered tearfully, many of those he served with were not.

"I want to thank everybody who came here...I know there’s others that deserve this also," Kelly recalled somberly. "I remember my friends that I lost, and I....this is for me, but it’s also for them. They gave the ultimate. So I thank you all for this, it’s a privilege to have this, and an honor. Thank you."

Working on a four-man Scout Unit in Vietnam tasked with reconnaissance efforts like monitoring troop movement and identifying weapon caches, Kelly earned the nickname "The Mole."

He told the story of how he befriended a South Vietnamese boy - they exchanged gifts to promise they wouldn't harm each other.

Ron recalled that he and his fellow soldiers were not treated well, almost vilified, when they returned Stateside in 1970.

Ultimately, he and his family left California to live and work in Nebraska in 1977, and they've lived here ever since.