 Despite the loss of one eye during this action and the navy's decision that he was no longer fit for service, Kelley persevered in his requests to remain on active duty.Kelley's following seagoing assignments included that of executive officer of and commanding officer of , which deployed to the South China Sea in 1978 to rescue refugees from Vietnam, then to the Philippines as well as South Korea.In addition, he earned his master's degree in management at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.