Cpl Joseph Ball Jr. Served
With the 581st Signal Radio Relay Company (1950-52)

Cpl Joseph Ball Jr. as reported by His Son John Ball

Cpl. Joseph Edwin Ball Jr entered the Army on Sept 17, 1948 and was sent to Radio Repairman School at Camp Gordon GA from Dec 48 to Sept 49. His unit was the 581 Signal Relay Co. and he had 1 year 11 days foreign service. His discharge record shows he made corporeal Aug 50 and was discharged in Sept of 51 so if you kind of extrapolate from those dates he was overseas in Japan and Korea between those dates. If the unit moved as a whole you may have better dates.

Best we can get from his service has come from family stories because he died in Jan. 61 of Leukemia. Myself being only 7 at the time never heard any first hand stories that I remember. From the family stories it was said that he was at the invasion of Inchon.

One other was that during the evacuation he missed the boat they where suppose to be on as they were late in getting to the port. Another thing I was told was that he was on the "Mighty MO" at sometime. Yet another tale was that one of the hills he was on was so steep that he had to reverse the jeep to go up it.

My best hope is that Mr. Noll could post the picture and I would be lucky enough that someone would recognize Dad or other people in it. I am also assuming that the other persons in the photo are also members of the "581st' but unfortunately I have no names. You are correct in saying that the number of Korea veterans who use computers is low, but I think the guys of the "581st" where a little above average in intelligence and by what I see of your post service employments kind of stayed in tech type jobs. My dad worked in electronics until he got sick traveling all over the country for the company. I believe Mr. Noll lives in Washington St (actually born in Seattle but lives in Oregon a place my dad went quite a few times to work on counters for the Grand Coolie Dan. He also did work in Langley AFB a few giving us a tour one of his projects there.

By John Ball
Proud Father of two Marines