05/25/2026
Stories worth telling.
Today, we wanted to do something a little different. No bulls, no cows, and no cheesy farm jokes as we usually do. Instead, we simply want to honor those who served this great nation.
We’d like to share a few photos and stories from some of our family veterans that we hope you’ll enjoy.
Pictured are all of my grandparents except Grandma Zola, who was too young to serve during WWII.
Ed Bedell served as a tail gunner with the legendary Flying Tigers during WWII. He lost friends in the war. Only 1 out of every 7 tail gunners survived — the highest mortality rate of any position in the military.
He made Sergeant on three separate occasions followed by demotions to private. When asked why, he simply replied:
“I don’t like being told what to do.”
After the war, he was given two choices:
1. Fly home and be back in two days, or
2. Take a boat and arrive in 2 weeks
He chose the boat — and only flew one other time during the remaining 70 years of his life. I suppose that tells you everything you need to know.
Civilla Ball served as an Army nurse during WWII. After the war, she worked as a head nurse for the Red Cross, where she met my grandpa, Dick Ball.
According to family legend, Grandpa went to donate blood, but the other nurses were struggling to draw it and he nearly fainted. So they called in Grandma Civilla.
The rest is history.
Dick Ball served in the Army between WWII and the Korean War in a missile unit. After returning home, he took over Ball Farms and spent the next several decades building it into a nationally recognized operation spanning Oklahoma and Kansas. The legacy of grandpa and Ball Farms was the motivational seed that inspired the creation of VICCI and a dozen other farms and ranches in our extended family.
My great-uncle Phil Ball, Dick’s brother, returned home from WWII and went on to become an All-American football player at South Carolina before earning his PhD in mathematics. Later, he received an Endowed Chair at the University of Central Oklahoma.
My other great-uncle on my dad’s side, Clay Bedell, was serving in the Army when he saw a flyer offering an extra 10 cents a month for “marksmen.” He thought to himself: “Well, I can shoot.”
What he didn’t realize was that he was volunteering for what would become one of the most respected and legendary special operations units of World War II: the First Special Service Force, better known as the “Devil’s Brigade.”
They specialized in guerrilla warfare across the European Front.
N**i forces reportedly called them “Die schwarzen Teufel” — “The Black Devils” — which helped inspire the nickname “Devil’s Brigade.”
Their legend only grew from the calling cards they allegedly left behind on the dead bodies of N**i soldiers: “Das dicke Ende kommt noch.” Which translates to: “The worst is yet to come.”
Both of my grandfathers served, along with all of their brothers. Every one of my Grandma Ball’s brothers served as well.
These stories of duty, sacrifice, courage, and patriotism are the stories we should pass on to our children.
To honor them is to remember.
Thank you to all who have served the United States of America.
