Nucla’s VFW District, the Uranium Post #9058, has scheduled an honor guard service on July 18 for a veteran that has passed. Honor guard is a protocol for those who’ve served in the U.S. military, to bestow funeral rites in a respectful way. For the honor guard, at least two other veterans lead the ceremony, and typically it includes the playing of “Taps.” If at all possible, a bugler performs the song.
The presentation of the American flag also takes place, and that flag is given to the next of kin who are present at the funeral service.
John Reed, quartermaster and adjutant for the Nucla VFW, often performs the honor guard. In fact, he was doing that very thing the morning of July 11 for Tom Stevenson, a local veteran who passed away this summer. Other local vets like Tom Loczy and Jack Lee also perform the honors.
Yet the July 18 honor guard is different. That’s because the veteran receiving the ceremony didn’t just recently pass. In fact, he died in the spring of 2010, more than 16 years ago.
Reed shared with the Forum that the upcoming ceremony is for Buck Ballard.
Born in Cortez, Ballard went on to serve in WWII, in the U.S. Navy on the USS Trever DMS. After the war, he had a lengthy career in law enforcement. Ballard was a police officer for the San Jose Police Department in California, where he was promoted to sergeant of detectives.
A lifelong member of the VFW, he was very involved in other organizations too and a respected family man. Though he was laid to rest with relatives in the West End, in Nucla’s cemetery, he had never received a military headstone.
When a gentleman in California, who previously served in the U.S. military with Ballard, found out about that, he wanted to do something. That veteran started a process to take care of his old Navy buddy and requested the headstone be placed after all of these years.
That was done so recently, on July 7, and Reed sent a photo to the San Miguel Basin Forum, showing it and sharing about the upcoming ceremony.
Ballard’s honor guard takes place on July 18 at 2 p.m.
Reed told the Forum somehow Ballard’s stone “slipped through the cracks.” Once he was alerted to the situation, though, Reed did his own research. After looking into Ballard’s military record, he discovered the vet had received eight silver stars and a bronze star.
“With those, that’s war hero stuff there,” Reed said. “You don’t get those, unless you’ve done something extraordinary. That’s, like, right underneath medal of honor. It’s way high up.”
Reed said representatives of the Nucla VFW will be there for sure Saturday, but also veterans from other posts in the greater district. Ballard’s granddaughter is also coming to attend the ceremony, and Reed thinks she will receive the flag. He added Ballard has a few living nephews in the West End who will be there.
“This is an interesting type of thing,” Reed said. “This is a district come-together to take care of this.”
The event brings good feelings for veterans like Reed.
“It’s an honor to help one that got missed,” he said.
Editor’s note: Funding for this story was provided by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, as part of its "Spreading Love Through the Media" initiative, supported by the John Templeton Foundation.
