1LT Kenneth M. Ballard
C Co. 2-37 Armor
Birth: 21 Jul 1977
Killed in Action: 30 May 2004 (aged 26) in Najaf, Iraq
Burial: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

1LT Kenneth M. Ballard died at age 26 of wounds caused by the accidental discharge of an M240 machine gun on his tank after his platoon had returned from battling insurgents in Najaf. Ken was Born in Mountain View, CA, the only child of a single mother. He enlisted in the Army as a 19K after graduating in 1995. Ballard served as a tank crewman with A/2-37 AR in Bosnia and Macedonia before taking a leave to attend Middle Tennessee State University under the Army’s Green to Gold program. He returned to 2-37 after commissioning was the platoon leader of 2nd platoon, Crusader Company at the time of his death. Ballard now rests in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery and a USPS building in Mountain View bears his name. You can learn more about him at this Facebook page his mother maintains to this day https://www.facebook.com/ltkenballard/ Please take time today to honor Ken’s memory, his selfless service and noble sacrifice. Courage Conquers and Iron Dukes!