Medal of Honor recipient Don Ballard speaks in Fallon on June 28. Tickets are available at the American Legion hall on North Ada Street.
Provided to the LVN
As a young sailor assigned to the M Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division in the North Central Coast region of Quang Tri province, Navy Corpsman Don Ballard snaked his way through the thick forest of South Vietnam in the late 1960s to provide medical assistance when an enemy bullet found its target.
On May 16, 1968, Ballard began treating two Marines who suffered from heat exhaustion. Meanwhile, North Vietnamese Army soldiers patrolling in the area fired on the rifle company, and while under fire, Ballard attended to a wounded Marine when an enemy grenade landed near him, the wounded Marine and four others. According to numerous accounts, Ballard threw himself on the grenade to shield the five Marines.
To Ballard’s amazement, the grenade didn’t explode, but once he realized what had occurred, he hurriedly threw the grenade away from the Marines where it then exploded, saving all of them from severe injury or death.
Ballard, who has visited Nevada several more times since he appeared before another veterans’ group in January 2018, is coming to Fallon at the end of the month to speak at the 106th annual American Legion Department of Nevada convention family dinner June 28. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Fallon Convention Center.
“I never met a Medal of Honor (recipient) until I became one,” Ballard said in a previous interview with the Nevada News Group. “I set out to go there to do my job and do the best of my ability,” he said of his tour to Southeast Asia.
Fewer than 1 percent of Americans have worn the military uniform, and Ballard they’re the ones who understand what it means to protect or save a buddy. As with many veterans who served in Vietnam, Ballard said he lost many friends. Of the veterans who served during the Vietnam era, he said only about 10 percent saw combat.
Ballard said many of the veterans who fought in Vietnam suffered from depression or suicidal tendencies. He said veterans need support.
“All of us have different ways of dealing with our stress or when you lose a buddy or get shot at. You want to eliminate the stress,” he said. “We couldn’t tell a North Vietnamese from a South Vietnamese. It’s like how do you tell the difference between a Republican and Democrat.”
When Ballard left the Navy and eventually joined the National Guard, he used the new venture as a treatment because he enjoyed being around veterans and fostering a new challenge. Ballard also experienced a dark side to his moods and thoughts in the early 1970s. He felt suicidal, and the only way to escape those thoughts was to have a focus in life.
Ballard said he has PTS but no disorder, be is also a strong advocate for suicide awareness and prevention and how veterans can help each other.
Ballard said the medical lessons learned from Vietnam have improved people’s lives today. He said the approach of taking care of injured Marines and soldiers improved.
After leaving the Navy, Ballard joined the National Guard.
The cost for the dinner is $40 per person. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the convention. Center with a cocktail hour followed by a dinner buffet at 7 p.m. Tickets must be purchased before June 20.
Pay at the American Legion Post, 90 N. Ada St., or mail to American Legion Post 16, Attn: Convention Committee, 0 N. Ada St., Fallon NV 89406.