Once Jonah and Keely found out they wouldn't be able to get married in February they decided they didn't want to wait. They eloped with a couple of friends and family members in Wilmington NC on Saturday, December 10th, 2022.

Jonah and Keely met at Norwich University before their senior year of college. While at their two-and-a-half-week field training exercise, Operation Agile Leader, they were in the same squad- weapons. Jonah noticed that Keely wasn’t like the other girls, he appreciated Keely’s willingness to step up and do the same tasks the boys were doing. She participated in the rotation for carrying the platoon’s M240, ammo, and extra barrels. Keely thought Jonah was the loud boy, and that by being near him would allow her to fly under the radar. However, during their field training, they became fast friends. Most nights it rained, so the platoon would snap their ponchos together to provide some cover and stay up all night talking and laughing. Their friendship continued to bloom as school started.

They went stargazing, went to chow together, studied together, and Jonah even started teaching Keely how to ballroom dance. Before she knew it, Keely was attending Jonah’s Rugby games and was dubbed the “team nurse” so she would be allowed to remain on the sideline to watch the game. In the late fall, they made it official. Keely took Jonah to meet her Grammy and Jonah took Keely home for Thanksgiving.

Jonah and Keely started their long-distance journey in January of 2022. Both having separate careers in the Army has led them to different places, but they made sure to see each other every chance they got. Between the time Jonah completed IBOLC and started Airborne, Keely went to spend one of her off weekends with Jonah. They had spent the weekend watching movies, going on Target runs, having coffee dates, playing cribbage by the pool, going to the farmers market, and to the museums on base. Back at Jonah’s, Keely was packing to return home. She was in the bathroom when she heard Jonah call her name. She walked out to see Jonah walking into the room with a little white box in hand. Immediately Keely started to cry, she felt like everything she had dreamed was coming true. Jonah told her everything she needed to hear and asked her to spend the rest of their lives together. Keely said yes and ran into Jonah’s arms.