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Man of honor
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| H&N photo by Amanda Oliver Retired Sgt. Maj. Ron Ballard served 24 years in the U.S. Army. |
Ron Ballard spent 24 years working
in communications in the U.S. Army
By MEGAN DOYLE
H&N Staff Writer
Retired Sgt. Maj. Ron Ballard knows exactly how long he was in the Army.
Twenty-four years and 11 days, from March 20, 1970, to March 31, 1994. In that time, he went from a high school dropout to a man of honor with a college degree and several military honors for dedicated service.
He received his draft notice at age 18, but decided to enlist instead, though he could have received a waiver because his two brothers were already serving in Vietnam.
“That way I had a better choice of what field I was going to go into,” he said.
His uncle repaired televisions and radios, so he opted to go into electronics.
As part of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, Ballard provided telecommunication from a foxhole to the Pentagon.
In 1970 and 1971, Ballard was stationed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
He was in Nha Trang and on Hontri Island, which the French used as a game reserve when they occupied the country.
Mines had to be cemented in place so that none of the monkeys would play with them and turn them on the U.S. troops.
Ballard was not injured during his time in Vietnam, but there were scary times, he said.
“It seemed like every payday the Vietnamese would launch mortars at our camp,” he said.
He suspects that it was a tactic used to get the soldiers to spend all their money on alcohol in town.
Ballard came close to being hit by a mortar while doing preventative maintenance on a generator unit. The mortar hit 20 feet away.
He fell to the ground and quickly called headquarters to let them know the camp was under attack.
After returning from Vietnam, he began a military career that took his family around the world.
They traveled across the United States and spent 1973 to 1976 in Germany.
Other than his time in Vietnam and an assignment in Korea from August 1992 to June 1993, Ballard’s family traveled with him on long assignments.
“We settled right into it, we just made home wherever we went,” said Donna Ballard, Ron’s wife. “Once you put the curtains up, it was home.”
Fixing up places and making them home, wasn’t easy, she added.
It was hard when Ballard left for assignments elsewhere, she said.
While stationed in Germany, Ballard was given orders for a highly classified mission, and his family wasn’t allowed to go. He knew he had to assemble 24 phone lines: 12 into NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, another 12 into the Pentagon, using a satellite system.
He didn’t know where he was going until he got there.
Ballard found himself in getting off of a plane in Egypt wearing winter gear, and he only packed winter clothes.
“We had called back to Germany to have them send us warm-weather items,” he said.
From Egypt, he relayed encrypted messages during the Iran hostage crisis of 1980.
Ballard’s time in Egypt is most memorable for a variety of reasons. He played an important role getting information to the right people, and he was able to see the tomb of King Tutankhamun and other Egyptian landmarks.
When he returned from Egypt, Ballard started taking education courses. The high school dropout received two associate degrees, in general education and business, and a bachelor’s degree in business management during his military career.
Ballard said a military career can teach a person how to live and be successful.
Twenty-four years and 11 days, from March 20, 1970, to March 31, 1994. In that time, he went from a high school dropout to a man of honor with a college degree and several military honors for dedicated service.
He received his draft notice at age 18, but decided to enlist instead, though he could have received a waiver because his two brothers were already serving in Vietnam.
“That way I had a better choice of what field I was going to go into,” he said.
His uncle repaired televisions and radios, so he opted to go into electronics.
As part of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, Ballard provided telecommunication from a foxhole to the Pentagon.
In 1970 and 1971, Ballard was stationed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
He was in Nha Trang and on Hontri Island, which the French used as a game reserve when they occupied the country.
Mines had to be cemented in place so that none of the monkeys would play with them and turn them on the U.S. troops.
Ballard was not injured during his time in Vietnam, but there were scary times, he said.
“It seemed like every payday the Vietnamese would launch mortars at our camp,” he said.
He suspects that it was a tactic used to get the soldiers to spend all their money on alcohol in town.
Ballard came close to being hit by a mortar while doing preventative maintenance on a generator unit. The mortar hit 20 feet away.
He fell to the ground and quickly called headquarters to let them know the camp was under attack.
World traveling
After returning from Vietnam, he began a military career that took his family around the world.
They traveled across the United States and spent 1973 to 1976 in Germany.
Other than his time in Vietnam and an assignment in Korea from August 1992 to June 1993, Ballard’s family traveled with him on long assignments.
“We settled right into it, we just made home wherever we went,” said Donna Ballard, Ron’s wife. “Once you put the curtains up, it was home.”
Fixing up places and making them home, wasn’t easy, she added.
It was hard when Ballard left for assignments elsewhere, she said.
While stationed in Germany, Ballard was given orders for a highly classified mission, and his family wasn’t allowed to go. He knew he had to assemble 24 phone lines: 12 into NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, another 12 into the Pentagon, using a satellite system.
He didn’t know where he was going until he got there.
Ballard found himself in getting off of a plane in Egypt wearing winter gear, and he only packed winter clothes.
“We had called back to Germany to have them send us warm-weather items,” he said.
From Egypt, he relayed encrypted messages during the Iran hostage crisis of 1980.
Memorable times
Ballard’s time in Egypt is most memorable for a variety of reasons. He played an important role getting information to the right people, and he was able to see the tomb of King Tutankhamun and other Egyptian landmarks.
When he returned from Egypt, Ballard started taking education courses. The high school dropout received two associate degrees, in general education and business, and a bachelor’s degree in business management during his military career.
Ballard said a military career can teach a person how to live and be successful.
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