USI to host Congressional Medal of Honor recipient April 8

The University of Southern Indiana Foundation and the College of Liberal Arts is proud to welcome a presentation from Donald Ballard, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8 in Carter Hall, located in University Center West on campus. His presentation is titled, Beyond the Battlefield: The Lifelong Service of Medal of Honor Recipient Donald Everett Ballard.

Awarded the Medal of Honor in 1970, Ballard later spent decades in continued service to veterans, first responders and his community. His talk situates Ballard’s actions within the broader realities of frontline medicine in Vietnam and examines how individual acts of courage intersect with memory, recognition and lifelong service. It asks not only what happened that day, but how such acts shape our understanding of valor, sacrifice and national memory.

Ballard is best known for the moment he threw himself onto a live grenade during the Vietnam War, an act that earned him the Medal of Honor. Yet his story does not end on the battlefield. From three decades in the Kansas Army National Guard to service in law enforcement, to supporting veterans’ families through his funeral homes, to mentoring transitioning service members, Ballard’s life demonstrates that valor is not confined to a single heroic act.

For more information, contact Dr. Kristalyn Shefveland, Assistant Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, at kmshefvela@usi.edu.