Ballard was the medical officer of the 3rd battalion and was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for his courageous efforts in providing aid for soldiers in the field.
After the war, he became infamous within the Los Angeles community and was frequently mentioned for his efforts in the media, publishing several medical research articles himself.
After being freed, John Ballard, along with 4000 other African American residents, lived near Santa Monica Mountains.
Raised as a single child, Claudius eventually graduated from Los Angeles High School and went to the University of Southern California for college.
After completely his qualification exams, Ballard started a medical practice in Los Angeles at the age of 24.
[4] Later, that Ballard would begin his publishing career when he released a paper called "The Pituitary, Its Function and Pathology" (April 1915).
[6] Upon the United States's entrance into World War I, Ballard was one of the physicians who volunteered and in 1917 he was commissioned as First Lieutenant of the Medical Reserve Corps.
The French had been facing heavy attack from the German forces at the time, so many of the medical officers would be sent out into the field.
The first thing that Ballard and his fellow officers would do was administer an anti-tetanic serum to ensure that the patient would prevent getting tetanus and gas baecilus, as part of procedure.
As a result of his efforts, in November 1918, Ballard was awarded the French Croix de Guerre at Mont des Singes at the backs of Ailette River.
In the 1920s he served as the Secretary of Physicians, Dentists and Druggists Association of South Carolina and continued writing articles for it.
At the break of World War II, Dr. Ballard returned to teach first aid at local high schools as there was a mounting fear of attack from foreign powers.
He was also prominently active in the National Medical Association, NAACP, YWCP, YWCA, and the Catholic Church, as they ran a large number of relief charities.