Furman alumnus inducted into Army ROTC Hall of Fame

Chris Ballard ’84 spent 35 years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army. He retired in 2019 at the rank of major general – but it turns out service has become a habit he can’t kick.

Ballard is president of the Furman Military Alumni Association, a group he helped form in 2020 to build a worldwide network for Furman graduates. He also continues to work a few months each year as a senior mentor to active Army and Joint military leaders. And when he’s home in Greenville, he makes time to connect with current ROTC cadets.

Major General (Retired) Chris Ballard ’84. Photo provided.

“Men and women that are in that program at Furman today are really exceptional,” Ballard said. “I get excited being around them.”

For his distinguished service, Ballard was among 25 ROTC alumni inducted into the Army’s ROTC Hall of Fame in October.

He was too busy to make it to the ceremony.

“Major General Ballard, and his wife Michelle, mean everything to the Furman Army ROTC Paladin Battalion,” said Lt. Col. Chad Monroe, professor of military science. “Their example, legacy and contribution to the program is immeasurable. He exemplifies the leader of character our cadets aspire to be and gives back in ways that continue developing our future Army officers. Furman’s long legacy of military service to the United States Army is blessed to have Major General Ballard among its ranks and we are forever grateful for his continued investment in the lives of others.”

Ballard attended Furman’s Military Appreciation Game against a Spartanburg college on Nov. 9, where he was recognized for his hall of fame induction.

An Army Life

Ballard grew up in a military family. His father, a chaplain, was stationed at Fort Jackson in Columbia when Ballard was in high school. Proximity put Furman on his list when he started looking at colleges and he chose the school for its pre-law program.

“I was proud of my dad’s career, but that’s not really what I was seeking,” he said.

But his parents had hard news when he came home for his first spring break – the family couldn’t manage the tuition increase that was coming.

Ballard returned to campus after the break and went straight to the ROTC office. He accepted a three-year scholarship and the six-year post-college commitment to the Army that came with it.

Ballard majored in German and political science. Spring of 1984 was a whirlwind: He graduated from college, was commissioned as a second lieutenant and married Michelle ’83, a voice performance major he’d met in Furman Singers.

After grad school at Indiana University, his first overseas posting was in Germany. He and Michelle were there in 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell.

“The geopolitical landscape was changing all around us,” Ballard said. They decided the job was too interesting to quit after six years.

In a 35-year career, Ballard spent 13 years overseas and completed three combat tours. He commanded at the company, brigade, battalion and two-star levels, ultimately serving as commander of the Army’s Intelligence and Security Command, a force of more than 17,000 soldiers and civilians working in nearly 40 countries. At retirement he was deputy director of operations at the National Security Agency.

Being in such heady ranks meant rubbing shoulders with plenty of men and women whose careers started at elite military schools such as West Point.

“I never at any time felt like I was disadvantaged,” Ballard said.

His Furman years provided him with the critical thinking and communication skills he would need as a leader throughout his career.

“All of those things that Furman insists upon really served me well,” he said.

Chris Ballard ’84, seen here with his family, retired from the Army on June 30, 2019, in the same spot where he was commissioned 35 years earlier, the Daniel Recital Hall on Furman’s campus. Photo provided.

He’s often asked which post was his favorite. His response: How do you compare places such as Germany and Korea and Hawaii, each remarkable in its own way?

But when it comes to making a mark on him, his mind goes to a battalion he led out of what is now Fort Cavazos, Texas. He lost two soldiers during that tour in Iraq, one in combat and one by suicide. Michelle and their children – daughter Olivia and sons Grayson, Adam ’12 and William ’15 – learned how a community could form among families back home the same way it formed among the battalion members overseas.

“When you share an experience like that, it becomes unforgettable,” Ballard said.

His 1984 commissioning was held in Furman’s Daniel Recital Hall. He decided to close his career in the same place. At least three of his professors attended both ceremonies.

Ballard wants current ROTC cadets to experience that same kind of attention and investment, and the same given to his sons; Adam an Army major, and William, a captain, also went through ROTC at Furman. (Grayson is also an Army major; he went to a different university.) He sees in the cadets remarkable academic talent and a deep sense of service. And he knows what the Army can do with those.

“You will come out different on the other side, however long you stay in,” he said.