South Bay Man Becomes 100th Californian To Die In Iraq
Posted: 8:15 am PDT June 1, 2004Updated: 8:44 am PDT June 2, 2004
MOUNTAIN VIEW -- A Mountain View man serving as a tank platoon commander in Iraq was killed over the holiday weekend by small arms fire near the city of Najaf, his family confirmed Tuesday.
Army Lt. Ken Ballard became the state's 100th casualty in the Iraq conflict. His mother -- Karen Meredith -- received word of her son's death Monday morning. The two had talked nearly every day since his deployment either by phone or online. The family kept a website updated with Ballard's communications and photos from the front."He was an only child. I was a single mom," Meredith told the San Jose Mercury News. "He knew how important it was for me to hear from him."Ironically, Ballard was suppose to come home last week but had ben kept in Iraq by an extended stay order.Ballard was born and raised in Mountain View. He joined the Army shortly after graduating from Mountain View High in 1995. He had previously served in Bosnia and Macedonia.
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Video On Demand: Family Mourns Loss Of Lt. Ken BallardCopyright 2005 by KTVU.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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