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Donald Everett Ballard (born December 5, 1945) is a retired American colonel in the Kansas National Guard and former member of the United States Navy, in which he was a Hospital Corpsman in the Vietnam War and received the Medal of Honor. ==Biography== Ballard was born in Kansas City, Missouri and it was there that he enlisted in the United States Navy. Sent to Vietnam, Ballard served as a corpsman in the Quang Tri province with Company M, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines (Mike 3/4) of the 3rd Marine Division. On May 16, 1968, Ballard treated two Marines suffering from heat exhaustion, and when returning to his unit from the casualty evacuation helicopter pad he and his company were attacked by the North Vietnamese Army. While under fire, Ballard directed aid to other wounded US Marines and when a grenade landed nearby, he lay on top of it to protect the wounded. The grenade failed to explode and Ballard was able to throw it away to explode harmlessly, and then continue to treat the wounded. For his actions, he received the United States of America's highest award, the Medal of Honor.〔Ballard's (MoH citation ) retrieved on March 11, 2007〕 After having left the Navy the previous year, Ballard received the Medal of Honor from President Richard M. Nixon and General Westmoreland 1970. He then enlisted in Army officer candidate school. Westmoreland offered Ballard a direct commission, however Ballard turned it down for personal reasons.〔Kansas National Guard Museum retrieved from (this link ) on March 11, 2007〕 Ballard later joined the Kansas National Guard in 1973, and served as an ambulance platoon leader, company commander, and was tasked with creating the new 'Medical Detachment 5', a unit which performs medicals on Guard members in order to save the cost of contracting outside medical help, and of which he was the first member and commander.〔Kansas National Guard Museum retrieved from (this link ) on March 11, 2007〕 On April 5, 1998, Ballard was promoted to colonel by Major General James F. Reuger and served as Special Assistant to the Adjutant General until his retirement in 2000.〔U.S. Military Health System () retrieved on May 22, 2009〕 Inducted into the National Guard Hall of Fame in November 2001,〔Kansas National Guard (Hall of Fame ) retrieved on March 11, 2007〕 Ballard is the only living Kansas Guardsman to have received the Medal of Honor.〔 He is also the subject of a memorial statue at the National Medical War Memorial in Kansas City, depicting Ballard during the action for which he received the Medal of Honor.〔National Medical War Memorial (site ) retrieved on March 11, 2007〕 Ballard has been active in providing services to veterans and active duty military, including work towards opening a USO facility in downtown Kansas City. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Donald E. Ballard」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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