Fornie Eugene Ballard hailed from North Mississippi and was raised in the Hinkle Community of Alcorn County. Prior to his military service, he worked for the Civil Service Corp (CCC 3497), a program aimed at providing employment to young men. Despite their monthly earnings of $30, the workers retained only $5, with the remainder sent to their families.
During his tenure with the Civil Service Corp, Fornie, along with his brother Denzel and double first cousin Herman Ballard, contributed to the construction of Tishomingo State Park. It was during this period that he crossed paths with my grandmother, Syble Holt, in Iuka, MS.
Tragically, Fornie Eugene Ballard lost his life in the Second Surge of the Battle of The Bulge in France during WWII. Initially interred in a temporary war cemetery in Limey, Toul, France from 1944 to 1948, he was laid to rest in Plot D, Row 3, Grave 75.
In 1948, his remains were repatriated to Corinth, MS, where he received his final burial on July 27, 1948, at Corinth National Cemetery.
Fornie Eugene Ballard hailed from North Mississippi and was raised in the Hinkle Community of Alcorn County. Prior to his military service, he worked for the Civil Service Corp (CCC 3497), a program aimed at providing employment to young men. Despite their monthly earnings of $30, the workers retained only $5, with the remainder sent to their families.
During his tenure with the Civil Service Corp, Fornie, along with his brother Denzel and double first cousin Herman Ballard, contributed to the construction of Tishomingo State Park. It was during this period that he crossed paths with my grandmother, Syble Holt, in Iuka, MS.
Tragically, Fornie Eugene Ballard lost his life in the Second Surge of the Battle of The Bulge in France during WWII. Initially interred in a temporary war cemetery in Limey, Toul, France from 1944 to 1948, he was laid to rest in Plot D, Row 3, Grave 75.
In 1948, his remains were repatriated to Corinth, MS, where he received his final burial on July 27, 1948, at Corinth National Cemetery.
Inscription
PVT, 9 ARMD INF BN, 6 ARMD DIV WORLD WAR II
