22-year-old who survived two mass shootings prepares to deploy to Afghanistan

(Image credit: AP Photo/Ryan Pearson)

published 26 December 2018

A 22-year-old Marine who survived two mass shootings is preparing to deploy to Afghanistan.

Brendan Kelly, who survived both the October 2017 shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the November 2018 shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, begins his first tour of duty in two weeks, The New York Times reports. His deployment was already scheduled before last month's shooting, during which two of his friends were killed.

"This is what I can do,” he told The Times. “This is what my role is supposed to be, as an able bodied and willing young man.” Kelly also said he is passionate about fighting for American principles such as the right to bear arms. During both shootings, Kelly, who first signed up for the Marines in 2015, threw people near him to the ground for safety and helped them make it to the exit, CNN reports.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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