thedrifter
03-28-08, 08:52 AM
Medal of Honor recipient to appear
by: MANNY GAMALLO World Staff Writer
3/28/2008 12:00 AM
A retired Army colonel who received the nation's highest honor while serving with the Navy in Vietnam will be the special guest at Saturday's Medal of Honor Day celebration.
Donald "Doc" Ballard, who received the Medal of Honor in 1970, is set to appear at 2 p.m. during the free celebration at Veterans Park, 21st Street and Boulder Avenue.
Events at the park get under way at 10:30 a.m. and will include military exhibits and concessions. Events are set to end by 3 p.m.
A native of Kansas City, Mo., Ballard, now 62, retired from the Kansas Army National Guard.
During the battle of Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, in 1968, Ballard was a Navy corpsman attached to the 3rd Marine Division.
He received the Medal of Honor for ignoring his own peril to treat badly wounded Marines while under fire.
Ballard's heroics included throwing his body on an enemy grenade thrown toward wounded Marines. The grenade did not explode.
Saturday's event also include exhibits of U.S. military uniforms dating to the 19th century, plus military artifacts and memorabilia. A restored Bell "Huey" helicopter, with bullet holes from the Vietnam War, will be on display.
About 2 p.m., a pair of jet fighters from Vance Air Force Base in Enid will do a flyover, followed by a World War II-vintage aircraft flyover.
The event is being presented by the Albert E. Schwab Detachment 857 of the Marine Corps League.
Schwab was awarded the medal posthumously for valor during fierce fighting on Okinawa in 1945. He is the only Tulsan to have received the Medal of Honor.
A wreath-laying ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. Friday at Memorial Park Cemetery, 51st Street and Memorial Drive, for Schwab, who is buried there.
Manny Gamallo 581-8386
manny.gamallo@tulsaworld.com
HONORABLE DAY
Congress set aside March 25 each year as National Medal of Honor Day. The first Medals of Honor were presented March 25, 1863, during the Civil War.
Tulsa has been celebrating Medal of Honor Day since 2002.
Ellie
by: MANNY GAMALLO World Staff Writer
3/28/2008 12:00 AM
A retired Army colonel who received the nation's highest honor while serving with the Navy in Vietnam will be the special guest at Saturday's Medal of Honor Day celebration.
Donald "Doc" Ballard, who received the Medal of Honor in 1970, is set to appear at 2 p.m. during the free celebration at Veterans Park, 21st Street and Boulder Avenue.
Events at the park get under way at 10:30 a.m. and will include military exhibits and concessions. Events are set to end by 3 p.m.
A native of Kansas City, Mo., Ballard, now 62, retired from the Kansas Army National Guard.
During the battle of Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, in 1968, Ballard was a Navy corpsman attached to the 3rd Marine Division.
He received the Medal of Honor for ignoring his own peril to treat badly wounded Marines while under fire.
Ballard's heroics included throwing his body on an enemy grenade thrown toward wounded Marines. The grenade did not explode.
Saturday's event also include exhibits of U.S. military uniforms dating to the 19th century, plus military artifacts and memorabilia. A restored Bell "Huey" helicopter, with bullet holes from the Vietnam War, will be on display.
About 2 p.m., a pair of jet fighters from Vance Air Force Base in Enid will do a flyover, followed by a World War II-vintage aircraft flyover.
The event is being presented by the Albert E. Schwab Detachment 857 of the Marine Corps League.
Schwab was awarded the medal posthumously for valor during fierce fighting on Okinawa in 1945. He is the only Tulsan to have received the Medal of Honor.
A wreath-laying ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. Friday at Memorial Park Cemetery, 51st Street and Memorial Drive, for Schwab, who is buried there.
Manny Gamallo 581-8386
manny.gamallo@tulsaworld.com
HONORABLE DAY
Congress set aside March 25 each year as National Medal of Honor Day. The first Medals of Honor were presented March 25, 1863, during the Civil War.
Tulsa has been celebrating Medal of Honor Day since 2002.
Ellie