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Grain Valley, MO —
I have goose bumps the size of silver dollars as I write this column, because Wednesday morning I met an honest-to-goodness hero.
He doesn’t swing a bat or throw a football and he didn’t save the planet from marauding space invaders.
Col. Don “Doc” Ballard was a medic in Vietnam who was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save four of his fallen comrades.
The date was May 16, 1968. A group of soldiers were ambushed near a crater on Hill 88 in Khe Sanh, where a quartet of soldiers were pinned down and faced certain death.
The young medic threw caution to the wind, and with the support of one machine-gun toting Marine, Ballard traversed the hill, dove into the crater and began working on a soldier who had lost his leg to a land mine.
That’s when the first grenade sailed into the crater.
While Ballard worked on the fallen soldier, the grenade bounced off his helmet and rolled to the back of the hole. The blast rocked the crater, but Ballard’s back pack took much of the shrapnel saving his life.
However, the explosion ripped through the crater, tearing off the fallen soldier’s second leg.
As Ballard rose up to work on the soldier, a bullet ripped through his helmet. Fragments of his helmet tore into his scalp, but the bullet passed through without creating any more damage.
Feverishly, Ballard worked on the legless soldier when another grenade was tossed into the crater.
By instinct, he grabbed the grenade and lobbed it near the enemy line.
As he was desperately trying to save the life of the young man with no legs, a third grenade fell into the crater.
Ballard had no idea it was lying near his feet, until a young man whose face suffered massive damage in the attack, cried out, “Doc! Grenade!”
Ballard dove on the live grenade, making sure his body would serve as a shield to protect the soldiers in his care.
He then grabbed the grenade from beneath his chest and threw it away from the crater, saving the lives of everyone in that crater.
Every soldier, including the young man who lost both legs, survived the attack, and Ballard was anonymously nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor.
In May of 1970, Ballard arrived at the White House and President Richard Nixon placed the prestigious medal around his neck.
I have goose bumps the size of silver dollars as I write this column, because Wednesday morning I met an honest-to-goodness hero.
He doesn’t swing a bat or throw a football and he didn’t save the planet from marauding space invaders.
Col. Don “Doc” Ballard was a medic in Vietnam who was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save four of his fallen comrades.
The date was May 16, 1968. A group of soldiers were ambushed near a crater on Hill 88 in Khe Sanh, where a quartet of soldiers were pinned down and faced certain death.
The young medic threw caution to the wind, and with the support of one machine-gun toting Marine, Ballard traversed the hill, dove into the crater and began working on a soldier who had lost his leg to a land mine.
That’s when the first grenade sailed into the crater.
While Ballard worked on the fallen soldier, the grenade bounced off his helmet and rolled to the back of the hole. The blast rocked the crater, but Ballard’s back pack took much of the shrapnel saving his life.
However, the explosion ripped through the crater, tearing off the fallen soldier’s second leg.
As Ballard rose up to work on the soldier, a bullet ripped through his helmet. Fragments of his helmet tore into his scalp, but the bullet passed through without creating any more damage.
Feverishly, Ballard worked on the legless soldier when another grenade was tossed into the crater.
By instinct, he grabbed the grenade and lobbed it near the enemy line.
As he was desperately trying to save the life of the young man with no legs, a third grenade fell into the crater.
Ballard had no idea it was lying near his feet, until a young man whose face suffered massive damage in the attack, cried out, “Doc! Grenade!”
Ballard dove on the live grenade, making sure his body would serve as a shield to protect the soldiers in his care.
He then grabbed the grenade from beneath his chest and threw it away from the crater, saving the lives of everyone in that crater.
Every soldier, including the young man who lost both legs, survived the attack, and Ballard was anonymously nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor.
In May of 1970, Ballard arrived at the White House and President Richard Nixon placed the prestigious medal around his neck.
Ballard’s story is something he willingly relates to any listener, but he makes sure to downplay his role, frequently saying, “I’m no hero. I was just doing my job.”
I hate to disagree with a Medal of Honor winner, but he is a hero – who is still taking part in heroic acts of a different nature today.
Ballard has enjoyed a life of service, working as a police officer and firefighter in Kansas City, and he is now the owner of Swan Lake Memorial Garden, a Grain Valley funeral home and cemetery that is open to the public but specializes in veteran services.
He has donated 20 acres of adjacent land for use by area Scout troops and hopes one day to offer an area that will feature a life-size bronze of his dramatic dive onto the grenade that was created by a sculptor whose father is a Medal of Honor winner.
The artist proof of the memorial sits in Ballard’s office and I defy anyone who views the dramatic scenario, while listening to Doc’s story, to leave the building without misty eyes and goose bumps.
Ballard is the lone living Medal of Honor winner left in Missouri, and he is still working to make a difference. Instead of dealing with severed limbs and gunshot wounds, he is working behind the scenes to create a Kansas City USO for soldiers of all ages (see related story on page 1).
It’s a dream, and it’s going to take a lot of work, but for a guy who made sure three grenades didn’t claim a life on Hill 88 back in 1968, it should be child’s play.
He’s organizing a series of fundraisers, including a Texas Hold ’Em Tournament, 2 p.m., July 15, at Elks Lodge No. 2509 (100 N.E. Brizendine Road) in Blue Springs. Tickets are $50 in advance, and I’d pay that to shake Doc’s hand and thank him for his service to his country.
I hope you feel the same way.
