New U.S. Surgeon General has Keesler kin Published Feb. 3, 2010 By Steve Pivnick 81st Medical Group Public Affairs KEESER AFB, Ms. -- Staff Sgt. Felita Ballard has met with new U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin on a regular basis in their hometown of Daphne, Ala., and also was a guest at her Jan. 11 swearing-in ceremony in Washington, D.C. Sergeant Ballard is Dr. Benjamin's second cousin. The close-knit family routinely met for Sunday dinners as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. The 81st Medical Operations Squadron medical technician said she, her husband Hewitt and "tons" of family members from all over the country attended the ceremony, where Dr. Benjamin was sworn in by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Sergeant Ballard explained Dr. Benjamin is her mother's first cousin. "My grandfather and Regina's mother are twins. My mother and Regina grew up next door to one another and were more like sisters. "Her (Dr. Benjamin) passion is health care," Sergeant Ballard continued. "Her mother, father and only brother are all deceased. They all died from preventable diseases so she is passionate about preventive medicine." Dr. Benjamin graduated from Fairhope High School and "we watched as she went from medical school to opening her practice and (among many honors) receiving the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights in 1998," Sergeant Ballard said. "I'm ecstatic, overjoyed, excited! I'm so proud of her!" she said of her cousin's new responsibilities. "America's 'Top Doc' -- it's unbelievable! "My mother always told us, 'You can do anything you put your heart into.' This is our proof." Sergeant Ballard, who has 14 years of service, and her husband, a Marine staff sergeant and recruiter in Baldwin County, Ala., have four children. They live in Daphne and she commutes to Keesler daily. The family returns to Okinawa in June, where they were assigned for six years before coming to Keesler in 2007.