Lt Ken Ballard, My Hero!
TATTOOS FOR KEN
Anyone and everyone who really knew Ken, knew about his famous, unsubtle tattoo on his left upper arm. If it wasn't the skull with a jesters cap leering at you in living color, it was the band of tanks blowing up dust as they ran around his arm. Ken loved his tattoo and even though it didn't say "Mom" anywhere on it, I loved it because he did.
I never got a picture of it and I'm sure someone who is looking at this site has just the picture that would serve my curiosity. Would you send it my way (and I'll post it here, too)? kensmomkm@gmail.com
Because Ken loved his tattoo so much, many of us thought it entirely fitting to honor him with our own tattoo. Shown below are pictures that I have received. If you got a tattoo in Ken's honor/memory, please forward it here so we can all share. Thanks!
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KEN'S FAMOUS TATTOO (click for whole picture) Thanks to Ssgt Erik Lohof for this photo! |
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COMING SOON! Elizabeth Patton, Los Angeles, CA Julia Patton, Saratoga, CA Cathy Patton, San Jose, CA Michaela Thornton, Cranston, RI Adrienne Forzano
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Erik, Freidberg, Germany C Co, 2/37 1AD This tattoo was in honor of the 3 soldiers from 2/37 who were killed in Iraq. "Most of us got it done over our heart so we would never forget the guys that we fought with for 15 months and depended on each other to watch our backs so we could make it home. Some got it on their back shoulder blades representing that the "predators" (our platoon name) would always be watching their back. Each thing on the tattoo represents something. The 3 tanks was a picture that was taken of my platoon by the media when we were charging into Sadr City on April 4th to rescue the 1st Cavalry infantry soldiers. The flames in the back represent the 15 months of "Hell" we went through. And the predator well that's our "mascot" sorta say. And last our fallen brothers we had put on the bottom so we would never forget their sacrifice." |
Thanks to our friends at in Washington D.C. for their patience and good humor. Click here to see some of the "fun" we had getting our tattoos.
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Shannon Lampton, Melbourne, FL (wrist) |
Pat Lampton, Melbourne, FL (calf) |
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Michel Meredith, Campbell, CA (forearm) |
Tim Meredith, Louisville, KY (calf) |
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Ken "Peezer" Parham, Sacramento, CA (shoulder) |
Ken's Mom, Karen Meredith, Mountain View, CA (ankle) |
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Terri Parham, Sacramento, CA (ankle) |
Denny Parham, Sacramento, CA (upper right arm) |
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Richard Meredith, Oaxaca, MX |
Stanley Gonzales, US Army |
