The next American Legion meeting will be Thursday, January 9th. The building will open at 5:30 PM and a meal will be served at 6:30 PM. The meal will be a Mexican potluck. Members are asked to bring their favorite kitchen side dish and or other complimentary dishes, such as bread, salad, or dessert. After supper, a short business meeting will follow.
The program will feature Brian A. Piacentini, who belongs to William F. Randolph - American Legion Post No. 593, of Converse, Texas. Brian A. Piacentini attended Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, California, and in 1999, earned a BAin Political Science from Cal State University at Chico. After attending law school for two years and following the events of 9-11, he enlisted in the US Army. After receiving a Commission as 2nd LT in the Infantry, he served two tours in Iraq 20052006 and 2008-2009. He finished out his service as a Captain and since his discharge in 2012, he has worked in the insurance business, in particular with Medal of Honor Recipient “Doc” Ballard focusing on important benefits that most Veterans are unaware of. Brian will present Doc’s story as well as benefits available to veterans.
The American Legion also wishes to remind the public to use the flag drop box for all worn flags that need retiring. It is located between the library and police department across from the courthouse.
Donald E. “Doc” Ballard
Donald E. Ballard is a retired colonel of the Kansas National Guard and former member of the US Navy. As a hospital corpsman in the Vietnam War, he received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on May 16, 1968.
Ballard was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and enlisted in the Navy in 1965. After he completed navy recruit training and Hospital Corps School, he served as a hospital corpsman with the US Marines and was sent to Vietnam in 1967,assigned with M Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division in Quang Tri province, in South Vietnam.
On May 16, 1968, Ballard treated two Marines suffering from heat exhaustion, and when returning to his platoon from the casualty evacuation helicopter pad, his rifle company was attacked by a unit of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers. While under enemy fire, Ballard was attending to a wounded Marine when an enemy grenade landed near the wounded Marine, four other Marines, and himself. He immediately covered the grenade with his body to shield the five Marines from the blast. Realizing that the grenade failed to explode, he quickly threw it out of harm's way as it exploded, saving the Marines and himself from harm or death. He then continued on attending to wounded Marines during the firefight. For his actions, he received the Medal of Honor.
Ballard was selected for the United States Army's Officer Candidate School. General Westmoreland found out Ballard was switching over to the Army and offered him a direct commission to be an active-duty army officer, however Ballard turned it down for personal reasons later joining the Kansas National Guard in 1970.
On April 5, 1998, Ballard was promoted to and served as Special Assistant to the Adjutant General until his retirement in 2000. Inducted into the National Guard Hall of Fame in November 2001, Ballard is the only living in Kansas Guardsman to have received the Medal of Honor.
Today, working through the Veterans Focused Benefits Alliance (VSBA), to include his 33 non-profit organizations, Ballard has been active in providing services to veterans, active-duty military, and funerals for homeless veterans. His main goal is to ensure each veteran knows what benefits are available.