John Bal

nycjohn123@msn.com

If we do nothing to make our world better, aren't we culpable?

If you don’t already know John Bal, maybe you should: 

John Bal is a “One-man peace corps”
                                                    Daily News

“John Bal has already given New York a little more than it deserves
and we should do all we can to say thanks.”
                                                   Pete Hamill, New York Post

“Bal’s veracity is nothing but excellent”
                                                   Famed corruption fighter
                                                   Detective Frank Serpico
                                                   New York Post

“Energetic and blessed with a real compassion to serve.”
                                                   Baruch Ticker
                                                                                            
 “American [John Bal] Flies Flag at Moscow Festival”
                                                   New York Times 

“I commend your patriotism and your initiative. You show the  kind
of verve and imagination that lifts my spirits.”
                                                   President Ronald Regan

“By most standards [John] is bold.”
                                                   Queens Ledger 

“Burmese, in a Desperate Situation, Seek Help”
                                                   Published New York Times Letter to the 
                                                   Editor written by John Bal upon returning
                                                   from the Burmese (Myanmar) war zone
                                                                                              
“Please accept the soldier patches of the ABSDF [All Burma Students’
Democratic Front] – Regiment 207 as a symbol of our respect for you.”
                                                   Win OO, Librarian
                                                   Ye Kyaw Camp

“We are proud to have known someone like you, who happens to 
take interest in our [Burmese Baptist] Mission field work.”
                                                    Marjorie Minn 
                                                    Director,Baptist Mission

During an Iraq  war demonstration “John Bal, a Vietnam veteran
and former police officer, carried a sign whose message was
simple: My heart aches for coalition forces and Iraqi casualties.”
                                                     Pete Hamill, Daily News

“Bal performed a magic show in Havana, Cuba for the children and
parents at Casa del Nino y la Nina, a community project sponsored
by UNICEF”
                                                    Granma International

“Good-will Ambassador [John Bal] Pins Flag on sleeve, Hopes on Kids”
                                                   Newsday

“Though he is not Jewish, Bal has become an advocate for a group of
Soviet citizens, mostly Jews.”
                                                   The Jewish Press 

“Bal went on “A mission to Moscow . . . to help Jews get out of the
Soviet Union.”
                                                   The Forward

“What John did was very important to both the United States and
Elmhurst.  He deserves a pat on the back for the fine job he did
representing us.”  
                                                    John Blaha, President, Lions Club

Bal “who protested the Vietnam War during his college and post-
college years . . . is trying to mend part of the rift in world relations.”
                                                   Newsday

“Bal works to encourage kids to stay in school and help them get
employment.”
                                                   Daily News

Bal, “Hoping to improve relations between onetime enemies, drew
warm smiles and thumbs up signs when he handed out 700 American
flags during a trip to Vietnam.”
                                                   Associated Press

“A one-man [peace] mission to Ho Chi Minh City”
                                                   Bangkok Post
                                                                                                                           
John Bal, a Vietnam veteran, passed out American flags as part of his
one-person campaign to improve U.S.-Vietnam relations.”
                                                   Staten Island Advance

Following Bal’s speech to the Vietnamese Delegation extending
friendship to our one-time enemy, “Kim Phuc, who at age 9 was
the subject of one of the most famous photographs of the Vietnam
War – severely burned and running down a road without clothing
after a napalm bombing – approached [Bal] and gave him a 
[friendship] ring.
                                                   International Herald Tribune

“We are all very proud to have [John] as our good-will ambassador.
You have brought distinction to our community and fostered
friendship between two cultures.”
                                                   Council Member Joseph Lisa

“An American human rights activist.”
                                                   Bangkok Post

“Still one of New York’s finest, ex-cop John Bal, has been appointed
aide to visiting Burmese opposition leader Sein Win, first cousin to
Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Su Kyi, to drum up UN support to
oust Burma’s [Myanmar’s] hated military ruler.”
                                                   Daily News

“As a Beyond Barriers volunteer [in Guatemala], Mr. Bal was assigned
to the Shelter for Battered Women and Orphanage.  We were very 
impressed with Mr. Bal’s willingness to donate a considerable 
amount of his time to improve the lives of battered women and
orphans. He developed creative approaches to solve problems and
demonstrated an unique ability to motivate others,including myself, 
to assist him.”
                                                   Marlo Mora, Executive Director
                                                   Beyond Barriers (Guatemala)

                               AWARDS                                   
“For his initiative and courageous actions.”
                    Fire Commissioner, City of New York

“In appreciation of the invaluable services  and cooperation extended.”
                    International Lions Club

“Participation with the Advisory Board.” 
                    NYS Division for Youth

“An outstanding citizen, one who is worthy of the esteem of both the community and the great City of New York.”
                    City Council Citation  

  
               PERSONAL BACKGROUND
                                     
        Born in Manhattan and raised in Queens, New York, I’m a former gold medal gymnast (American Turners/New York Turn Verein) and, subsequently, a sparring partner of the retired World Middleweight Boxing Champion Jake “Raging Bull” LaMotta.

        I  attended Queens Vocational High School.  My father, a deaf Dutch immigrant, worked as a steamfitter at the Brooklyn Navy Yard building U.S. Navy ships during World War II.  My mother, crippled from polio, was a farm girl from Maine and a volunteer Lieutenant Commander in the American Nautical Alliance (a Boy/Girl Scout-type organization).  My uncle Andries died in a POW camp during WWII.  Both of my sisters and I are decorated wartime military veterans.

        Following my honorable discharge as a Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, I became a New York City police officer (thrice decorated) for three years, graduated from Bernard M. Baruch College (under the G.I. Bill), and taught at LaGuardia Community College.  My most fulfilling career was as a Youth Counselor in the South Bronx breaking the cycle of recidivism among youths arrested for the first time.  I have lived in Asia, accumulatively, for several years.