Keeping
Honor Alive
Medal of Honor recipients
give their wishes to Gainesville
STORY BY MEGAN GRAY-HATFIELD AND PATRICK HAYSLIP
O
nly a pandemic could keep many medal
of Honor recipients away from Gaines-
ville’s annual Medal of Honor week. A
total of 15 medal-wearing veterans were
confirmed to attend before health and
safety considerations made springtime festivities out of
the question this year. But the honored guests were no
less grateful for the invitation and the chance they would
have had to share their stories with the people of Cooke
County. Three of the 15 spoke with our writers about their
activities over this past year and the messages they would
bring to North Texas.
DONALD ‘DOC’ BALLARD
As the first recipient of the Medal of Honor to visit in
Gainesville in 2001, Col. Don “Doc” Ballard has a special con-
nection to all that comes with the ceremonies and fanfare in
the area.
In his 35 years in the military, Ballard learned what comes
with earning the distinguished award and he said he will sorely
miss being around everyone involved this year.
“Obviously Gainesville Texas has been part of my life for
20 years,” Ballard said. “I’ve gotten to know everybody down
there on a personal level and they’re like family. It’s like a fam-
ily reunion and I sat on the board of directors for a while and
became close to a lot of people. I’ve always looked forward
to it.”
Ballard joined the Navy in 1965 and at the time had never
heard of Vietnam. He originally enlisted in the Navy because
he thought he could finish his education and become a den-
tist.
In 1967 he was drafted into the Marine Corps and sent to
Area residents welcome
Medal of Honor recipients
arriving to Gainesville in a
motorcade in 2019.
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