Corporal Balls was a member of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on 1 February 1951 and returned to duty on 2 March 1951. He was taken Prisoner of War while fighting the enemy in South Korea on 18 May 1951 and died while a prisoner on 14 July 1951.

Balls was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Prisoner of War Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Korean War Service Medal.