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Remember...Oliver Clinton Ball Jr.
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Oliver Clinton Ball Jr. was born in Greenview, Boone County, West Virginia on July 1, 1931. Oliver was one of seven children of Oliver Ball Sr. and Myrtle Pauley Ball. Oliver had four brothers: James Kenneth Ball, Ray Vaughn Ball, Silman Ball, and Charles Ball and two sisters Lena Mae Ball-Johnston and Martha Isabelle Ball-Caroll. (Family information derived from the 1940 and 1950 Federal Census and Silman Ball's obituary.) Oliver Ball Sr., his father, was a veteran of World War I and came back home to have his own farm in Boone County, West Virginia. Oliver Jr. was born two years after the beginning of the Great Depression, and West Virginia was one the hardest hit states.
| Oliver Clinton Ball Jr. was only 19 years old when he was killed in action during the Korean War. Oliver was a private first class in the Army. His service occupation was a Light Weapons Infantryman. His unit in the Army was the 5th Cavalry Regiment (Infantry), 1st Cavalry Division. The Great Depression of the 1930s had forced thousands of unemployed workers into the streets. The 1st Cavalry Division had a long and illustrious history prior to its involvement in Korea. From 1933 to 1936, 3,300 troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division provided training and leadership for 62,500 people of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The 5th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Division (the "Black Knights") was formed during the Civil War, and its many engagements include the Spanish-American War, the Mexican Expedition of 1916, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. ("5th Cavalry Regiment," Wikipedia, last edited 30 September 2023, accessed 20 October 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_Cavalry_Regiment.) |  |
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Oliver Clinton Ball Jr. was killed in action and lost on September 22, 1950. At the time of death, he was in the Taegu Area, South Korea. ("Korean War Project Remembrance: PFC Oliver Clinton Ball Jr.," Korean War Project website, accessed 20 October 2023, https://www.koreanwar.org/html/1274/korean-war-project-west-virginia-ra13295286-pfcoliver-clinton-ball-jr/.) Oliver is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. |
The West Virginia Division of Highways has named bridge 3-119/10-0.04 on County Route 119/10 at mile marker 0.004 at Greenview, Boone County, West Virginia, the "PVT Clyde Whitman (Bobbie) Bennett and PFC Oliver Ball Jr. Memorial Bridge." A marker at the bridge site honors those fallen soldiers. Oliver Jr. is buried in the Pauley Cemetery in Boone County.
Oliver Clinton Ball Jr. was awarded the Purple Heart. Additional commendations and awards he was eligible for include the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Marksmanship Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Republic of Korea Presidential Citation, the Republic of Korea War Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the Army Presidential Unit Citation, and the Army Good Conduct Medal. ("Oliver Ball Jr.," HonorStates.org website, accessed 20 October 2023, https://www.honorstates.org/profiles/213621/.)
Article prepared by Caroline Kuhn
September 2023
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
