Harry Ballard and Ginny Palmer

00:03 I am Jenny Palmer. I am here 39 years old have to remember that always when I wake myself older than you today is April 16th, 2019. I'm in Pensacola, Florida and I am here with my stepfather.

00:21 Haim Harry Ballard

00:24 Emma 90 years old

00:31 And I'm here with my stepdaughter.

00:36 So we're here Dad just to kind of share some memories from your time in the service that now I'm just before I get so that when are you able to kind of give us some background on to where you grew out them what that was like

00:54 I grew up in rural Manatee County.

01:01 We grew up with in the thirties.

01:05 We had a little truck Farm.

01:09 Group most of what we ate.

01:12 What we didn't go we go.

01:15 I almost also for fishing.

01:23 So, what do you remember about the day that you enlisted?

01:27 Well I had

01:30 Giving some thought

01:32 Have a good one in the Merchant Marine and

01:36 My birth certificate was messed up and we had to remake it and asked if we did that so I decided to

01:45 Go in the Army Corps of Engineers.

01:48 Got to learn how to operate heavy equipment. So for learn how to make a living.

02:01 And I'm

02:04 How did you imagine military life was going to be like before you joined got out yet. He feel me and he was lucky enough to get in heavy equipment branch in the engineers. So

02:25 I kind of fell in behind him.

02:33 What was basic training like back-to-back answering your time? It was pretty

02:46 Heavy training

02:48 So forth I had.

02:51 After the

02:53 Military part of it. I went into the occupation part to learn a trade how to make a living when I got out.

03:04 And we're weird. Were you serving at Turin?

03:10 I took my basic training in, Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

03:15 In 1947

03:19 The latter half of 47 and from there I went to

03:24 Engineer school at Fort Belvoir, Virginia

03:29 Operate cranes and drag lines and power cells and so forth.

03:37 Have to train and finish that was finished. I was sent to court again, January 48.

03:47 Served in the occupation troops

03:54 What are some things you remember most about your time there? What are some of the things you remember most about your time there?

04:02 Who was?

04:04 Remember of Corey. I remember getting there in January in his ice and snow ever place a little different from Florida.

04:21 Is there any particular person that you served with that you remember fondly?

04:28 Well back during basic training.

04:33 Hi, how are you fortunate?

04:38 The couple are army Colonels Engineers borrowed me and two more guys.

04:46 Bangla

04:48 Company we were assigned to to help set up.

04:55 Hillside

05:02 Picture show area Builder

05:07 Anna Lee one of the engineers he decided he liked me and he taught me everything that I could take in on using a survey instruments.

05:22 Level four

05:24 He'll run elevations all that kind of stuff.

05:28 And I used it the rest of my life.

05:35 Did

05:38 I know you told me or told us kids a lot of different things. But what are some of the pranks that y'all played on each other to know y'all y'all didn't have fun as well while y'all were there working and dreaming normal thing we when we went swimming in The Lakes at Fort Jackson whatsoever and we had some pretty rough swimming parties and so forth.

06:08 Did did you ever get caught breaking any rules?

06:13 Doctor

06:16 The sergeant it was over all over if I gave him instruction and swimming and Diving and all and we were real good friends.

06:36 I know that you've you've recently shared a story with us about I believe it was the the person y'all had hired to clean clean your guns and weapons. Would you mind relaying that temporarily?

06:58 The supply sergeant for

07:02 Headquarters company of a topographic battalion

07:07 Hello.

07:09 Current Lyft serious weapons and all that stuff in the supply room and course we had to take care of them. He came in this little Japanese boy sitting down on the rug on the floor cleaning all those military weapons, and he was really upset.

07:32 Have fun and it has explained it to him and

07:36 He came in about 3 days later and asked me since

07:40 You think that boy clean my shotguns and all that stuff? I so sure. I didn't tell her you've been cleaning them all the time.

08:13 And how long were you were you in the military?

08:20 Didn't do you didn't make it a lifelong career.

08:25 I spent five years in Asia.

08:33 None of it was combat time.

08:41 Is there anything you miss about those days?

08:52 The best part of it. I had two or three years in the city of Tokyo good for the nice.

09:06 And I and you met your your first wife.

09:11 While you're in the Star Trek series mother.

09:22 Orcas

09:24 A clerk typist and so for a few second hand cycle Terry

09:33 What was your first impression of her your first impression?

09:39 Shoot a real nice person and well-educated. She was actually she was educated to be a school teacher.

09:49 04 Escalade

09:57 We had two children.

10:09 And Tammy's mom cuz she's Japanese as well. Correct. Tammy's mom was not Japanese.

10:25 Was

10:28 Was it difficult for her transfer degree in and smothered was it difficult for her transitioning to milk to being from being in Japan Coming to America?

10:42 Never not really.

10:48 She was well educated. She hadn't had English for years and as a school teacher so far.

10:57 Shield app to pretty quick

11:10 What would you want all of your kids to know about your military service?

11:18 Well, I want to know it's me personally. It wasn't a hard life at all. I got along fine with the military.

11:32 All my relatives. I've tried to teach him that.

11:37 Long as you

11:39 Play the game. You're fine.

12:01 Can you describe something that you are proud of in your life?

12:13 I was proud of how I could help my family.

12:17 Especially month

12:19 Some of it from Howe military service and so forth it like say I learned a trade and made a good living.

12:35 And how has your life been different than what you would have imagined?

12:44 That'll trigger finger then a different what I do to Magic.

12:49 I had a gal.

12:51 Something to look forward to and I tried to

12:56 Gage my living by what I knew and what I had

13:20 I retired as a construction superintendent for Manatee County building the roads and bridges so far.

13:29 A lot of that went right back to my military service. That's where I got the start of it.

13:41 Do you have any other fun stories from your time in service that you could share?

13:53 When I was stationed in Japan, I went on some nice fishing trips some of the Japanese national to work for C had to realize it was his hat fishing boats and stuff.

14:06 Has a nice days for that.

14:24 Do you have any regrets?

14:28 Not really.

14:30 Well, I can say I enjoyed my life I had in the military and so forth.

15:09 How do your family feel about you going into the to the military?

15:15 You don't have any objection whatsoever. My oldest brother was already drafted he was in and

15:26 They has heard enough from him talkin about what would you learn how to do and whatever so

15:31 They

15:34 My birth certificate little bit messed up so they had to sign for me to go in and

15:40 They signed it. So I guess they were happy with it.

15:46 17

15:54 Do you so what do you think about your life after after you got to do what are some of the things that you did once you get out of the military?

16:03 Well when I got out of the military me and my dad we were in the folder business together.

16:13 I got a chance to

16:16 Go on the payroll for.

16:18 Road & Bridge part of a

16:22 Highway department on Manatee County

16:26 They were a county that build all their bridges in house. They didn't contract them out or anything.

16:33 They actually construction.

16:38 And with my engineering background I fell right into it.

16:45 And I work for him for 30 years.

16:51 Do you know.

16:53 Bet you can

16:56 Today that we might drive across

17:03 At least

17:05 Seventy-five 75% of the bridges in Manatee County

17:14 Southeast of Tampa

17:19 South of Tampa and south of southeast

17:29 Give to your to your children or your or your grandchildren.

17:35 What would you tell them about about life or about love or about anything you anything? You could pick up Dylan minister.

17:50 Always look to the Future.

17:53 Any way they can improve their.

17:56 Life and so forth It's that's the thing to do.

18:03 And you have told us that very well.

18:14 Can you remember?

18:17 Any defining moment in your life that may be made you want to work harder or maybe makes you view life differently after after it happened.

18:31 Well

18:34 I'm sure they were times it.

18:38 I felt that way, but I can't remember one upright all fan.

18:54 Ever since I've been up here.

18:58 Was retired when I came to

19:02 Northern Florida city of DeFuniak Springs

19:08 They were get some federal grants.

19:13 Federal government rebuild in the city, you know straight soon. You name it, whatever.

19:22 Well, I had got tired of loafing around.

19:26 So I had to

19:30 Can I have something to do I ask the city for a job and they put me on for?

19:36 A few days

19:39 The this song

19:42 These grants for self started so

19:45 Hopefully it will that 16 years.

19:50 Hi.

19:53 Oversaw the construction and

19:56 Handle the money

19:58 And so far

20:00 OU rebuilt City

20:09 So why what makes you what brought you to Pensacola?

20:14 Well, I wish.

20:18 Actually

20:20 I came up in the area because it was a poor area and it was more like the

20:28 Manatee County was when I

20:31 Went to work for him and whatever.

20:35 And I just thought it would be different traffic was getting so bad and a population was increasing so much in that area.

20:47 And I had to too many years.

20:51 Anna

20:53 I got telephone calls at night.

20:56 I went to a restaurant to sit down and eat and I might have a dozen people talk to me while I was trying to eat.

21:04 And so forth so I got out of it.

21:11 Can can you sue what it's like?

21:16 To be a father. What what that's been like for you. What did you what did you feel when you first got the news that you would be a father very proud of it.

21:27 And what what is fatherhood been like for you if you care to talk about it?

21:36 Been good and bad things ever went to jail or anything like that. So what's up?

21:48 Fairly well-educated

21:51 Hello.

21:53 That goes from stepchildren to have encouraged him. Anyway, I could

22:23 New you moved out when you after you and Mom married you married her and she had four children and your your three children were adults already.

22:36 She had three young children. So you took a big a big package with that.

22:47 But you are erased us you braces just like we were your own and I know not a lot of men would do that.

23:02 How has that?

23:04 Having like a second chance at fatherhood with raising another set of young children. How has that been for you?

23:15 I'm sure you know that.

23:28 No, we moved from DeFuniak Springs to build on.

23:34 Main reason I did that question for their education least step kids.

23:41 It's worked out great.

23:46 That's all I can say it. I feel it's been great.

23:53 Ginny is there anything that you?

23:57 How to stop

24:00 You know, you've been a blessing. Sorry.

24:09 You know, even though yes, like even though my my dad my bio dad is still in our picture and stuff. It's I've always felt like I'm one of the luckiest girls out there cuz not all girls get to Father's to do Don Tillman take care of them. So I'm like Extremely Blessed more so than most women out there cuz I had to Dad's to take care of me and looking out for me and I've always dumb.

24:35 I guess I've always felt very blessed about that and

24:41 And I know for you it wasn't easy, you know.

24:47 Raising another set of kids, but I'm glad you did.

24:57 Oh, I have to say in my life most things.

25:04 I've been fairly easy for me.

25:07 Military was easy.

25:12 Didn't have anything against them or anything like that.

25:19 Got along good.

25:25 That's the way

25:27 It work with us myworklife with it when I got in with that County.

25:32 Hust

25:34 Welcome.

25:35 The bottom two

25:38 The superintendent for the county construction superintendent for the county.

25:47 No problem. I built Bridges. I

25:51 Anything that needs to bill

25:56 I did it.

26:09 No, too many people forget if there's a will to do something. There's a way to do it.

26:16 If you if you really want to do that, you can find a way to do it.

26:31 Call Dad. I just want to thank you so much for taking time out of your day today to to speak with me.

26:38 Thank you. You're welcome. I'm glad to do it for you.