[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11792-11793]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING U.S. ARMY LIEUTENANT KEN BALLARD

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 8, 2004

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor U.S. Army Lieutenant Ken 
Ballard who was tragically killed on Sunday, May 30th in Najaf, Iraq. 
Lt. Ballard served as a platoon leader in the U.S. Army's 2nd 
Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division.
  Lt. Ballard grew up in the Bay Area of California. After graduating 
from Mountain View High School in 1995, he joined the Army where he 
served in Germany, Bosnia, and Macedonia. He won an ROTC scholarship to 
Middle Tennessee State University and earned a bachelors degree in 
international relations prior to his deployment to Iraq.
  Lt. Ken Ballard comes from a proud tradition of military service. He 
is the fourth generation on both sides of his family to serve our 
country in uniform going back to World War I. Lt. Ballard served 
courageously and with honor

[[Page 11793]]

through unimaginable circumstances, acting bravely to protect the lives 
of those with whom he served.
  Ken Ballard gave his life at the age of 26 with a bright and 
promising future ahead of him. It is with both sorrow and pride that we 
remember Lt. Ballard. As many in his hometown of Mountain View and 
across the Bay Area gather to mourn his loss, we honor Lt. Ballard's 
leadership, selfless sacrifice, and courageous service to our nation. 
Lt. Ballard was an outstanding American and a great Californian.
  Our thoughts and condolences go out to his mother Karen Meredith and 
father Tom Ballard and all his family.

                          ____________________