Daniel Kelliher, 104; WWI Veteran Was Retired Firefighter
Daniel Kelliher, 104, a veteran of World War I and also one of the country’s oldest retired firefighters, died Sunday at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Tampa, Fla.
A native of Malden, Mass., Kelliher was a member of the 101st Infantry during World War I and fought in several major battles in Europe. In 1998, he was one of several servicemen awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government.
After World War I, Kelliher ran a repair shop in Boston before joining the Medford, Mass., Fire Department in 1929. Years later, he recalled that there had been no training period required. “They put you on a truck and you picked it up as you went along,” he told the Medford Transcript.
Kelliher retired as a lieutenant in 1963 after 34 years with the department.
“We worked 84 hours a week, day in, day out, all year long.... I thought it was a wonderful job.”
Kelliher moved to Florida after his retirement.
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