[h3][b]Name:[/b][/h3]
Earl Franklin Ball
[h3][b]Age:[/b][/h3]
19
[h3][b]Rank:[/b][/h3]
Private First Class (PFC)
[h3][b]Position:[/b][/h3]
Rifleman (MOS 745)
[h3][b]Background:[/b][/h3]
Earl F. Ball was born on June 13th, 1925 in the municipality of Greeneville, Tennessee, in the similarly named Greene County, noted for being the birthplace of David 'Davy' Crockett. Born to the proud owners of a tobacco farm among the Tennessee Valley's rolling hills, Earl spent a great deal of his time as a farmhand, assisting his father and the hands he hired to till, sew, and harvest the fields.

He attended the local schoolhouse nearby to the modern day Ottway Primary School, receiving a rudimentary education by modern standards. He graduated in mid-1942 and immediately sought enlistment. As soon as his parents signed the waiver, he was shipped to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for BCT, which was completed and he was mustered into the 53rd Armored Infantry Battalion at its formation, shipped to Watertown, New York for advanced training.

At Camp Pine, Earl was trained as an operator of one of the M2 Brownings on one of the M3 Halftracks. He bided his time and underwent training as it came. By the time the unit left for England, he had no strong connections or attachments in Watertown.

Once in England, he eagerly anticipated the unit’s deployment, and was promoted during exercises in preparation for aforementioned deployment. Once in mainland France, Earl began to keep a journal starting July 16th.