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Ballard, Junior ROTC Celebrate Marines' Birthday
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Ben Davis started its Junior ROTC in 1976.
Photo by Linda Karn |
(posted Nov 9)
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard called November 10th "a sacred day",
marking the 233rd birthday of the Marine Corps. Ballard will be celebrating
on the 25th floor of the City County Building.
Ballard, along with 170 members of the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer
Training Corps, celebrated early at Ben Davis High School on November 8.
Ballard told the junior reserves that serving in the Marines is no longer
about "you", it is about service to country, team, honor and
courage. He also emphasized the importance of family. "When you go
away to war they have to carry on," he said. He honored Winnie, his
wife of 25 years.
Ballard was impressed with the junior reserves research of Tun Tavern for the celebration. The junior reserves constructed a facade to mark
the importance of where the first Marine recruitment occurred.
Ballard reminisced the day he visited the recruitment center while attending
Indiana University. He confessed that he was only going to talk to the
Air Force, Army or Navy recruiters and "I was not going not talk to
that Marine Recruiter." While he was waiting to talk to the other
recruiters, the Marine Recruiter came out into the hallway and said, "Hey,
you want to talk about the Marine Corp?" Ballard admitted the marine
recruiter's deep gruff voice scared him, but he stayed two hours talking
to the recruiter. "He had me mesmerized."
Ballard is a retired Lt. Colonel after serving 23 years, but still uses
the Corps' values, discipline and focus in his public service work.
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