Eshoo Bill Honoring Iraq War Hero to Become Law

Statement

Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) released the following statement after her bill designating a Mountain View, California post office as the Lieutenant Kenneth N. Ballard Memorial Post Office received final passage in the Senate and will become law:

"When duty called, Lieutenant Ballard answered for his country. He was brave, courageous and a hero. For his service, he should be remembered and honored by our community."

Rep. Eshoo's bill garnered the support of the entire California Congressional delegation, the Mountain View City Council and passed by unanimous consent in the Senate.

Background on Lieutenant Ballard

Kenneth Michael Ballard was born in Rome, New York, in 1977, and moved to Mountain View, California in 1981. After graduating from Mountain View High School in 1995, he enlisted in the Army and attended basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He went on to serve in Germany, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Iraq. He won the Gold to Green Army ROTC Scholarship and attended Middle Tennessee State University. After graduation he returned to Germany and was then deployed to Iraq. On May 30, 2004, Lieutenant Ballard was killed in Najaf, Iraq by accidental discharge of the M-240 weapon mounted on his vehicle.

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