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thedrifter
10-14-08, 09:30 AM
Published: October 13, 2008 06:18 pm

Woman collects goods for troops

By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News

A Morris woman is honoring the memory of her husband by collecting items for his fellow U.S. Marines.

Joyce Ballard has set up collection boxes at K&T’s Kutin’ Up in Gardendale and at Paulette’s Beauty Salon in Morris.

Members of the Anti-Terrorism Battalion, 4th Marine Division in Bessemer are currently serving a tour in Iraq. Meanwhile, other members of the battalion are preparing to go to Iraq for a seven-month tour.

“I want to send something to them and let them know we appreciate them,” said Ballard. “Those boys need boosting up. Doing stuff like this helps their morale.”

Ballard’s heart is close to the Marines because her late husband, William H. Ballard, retired from the Marines after serving for 32 years.

Sgt. Maj. Ballard, who died in 2005, served at the battalion in Bessemer, although it now has a different name.

Joyce Ballard said that she and her husband were married for 53 years when he died. They had a military wedding and he had a funeral with full military honors.

“The Marines has been our whole life,” she said.

Ballard has continued to be an honorary member of the Marines battalion even after her husband died.

“She’s a friend to this unit. She’s very concerned and involved with Marines during their deployments,” said Master Gunnery Sgt. David Holladay with the Anti-Terrorism Battalion. “It means a lot to our families when they see local supporters. In their own families they expect that, but it means a whole lot when someone outside of their family cares enough to go out of their way to help.”

In addition to collecting items to send to Marines overseas, Ballard is making table decorations for the annual Marine Corps Ball, scheduled for Nov. 15.

Ballard said she will be making flower arrangements for 42 tables. She said more than 350 marines and their guests will attend the ball.

Ballard herself has been the guest of honor of a Marine Ball, in the year following her husband’s death.

She said the last one her husband attended was in November 2001, before he got cancer.

“But I’ve been to them ever since,” she said.

Ballard is collecting donations to help pay for flowers for the table decorations.

She said that Marines would pick them up from her house, and pick her up for the ball as well.

Ballard said she does it because the battalion gets no funding except from its own members and families.

“She has gone out of her way to keep costs low for the Marines and their families by organizing community drives,” said Holladay.

He said the Marines enjoy picking up Ballard for the annual ball.

“The Marine Corps is all about tradition,” he said. “If we can live up to the traditions of Marines such as her husband, it’s one of our top missions.”

Ballard needs all donations for the Marines in Iraq by Nov. 4 so they will reach the men and women by Christmas.

Holladay said there are 150 Marines in the company that is currently deployed to Iraq, with 13 of them from Bessemer.

Items needed include white cushioned crew socks, lip balm, bath powder, shaving cream and shaving lotion, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, razors, trail mix, large Band-aids, lotion with aloe (odorless), small games and cards, crackers, Halls cough drops with vitamin C, envelopes, hard candy and small books.

To learn more about donating items, or to donate money for the flowers, call Ballard at 647-9780.

Ellie