James Ball, Jr. served the US Army as a Lieutenant in the Armored Tank Division, Company H, 13th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division in World War II. He was killed in action on February 1, 1943 in the Tunisian area of North Africa while engaged with his tank company against the Germans. He was buried first at Gafra, Tunisia, but later buried in the Carthage U.S. Military Cemetery at Carthage, Tunisia, North Africa. He was awarded the Purple Heart.