Kumari Shreya
Directed by Alejandro Monteverde, ‘Sound of Freedom‘ is an action movie based on a man named Tim Ballard who gave up his job as a federal agent to help rescue children from human traffickers and cartels. The on-screen depiction of the man in question by Jim Caviezel has undoubtedly made many people curious about just who Tim is and his current whereabouts.
Who is Tim Ballard?
In 1994, Tim Ballard became a student at Brigham Young University and gained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Political Science in 1999. This was followed by his enrolling at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in 2000 and gaining his Master of International Politics, Terrorism, and International Crime degree in 2001. While there, he became a Researcher in January 2000 at James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and retained the position until April 2002.
Tim’s first work with an intelligence agency was actually his brief tenure with Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an Officer in 2001. Starting in September 2002, he became a Special Agent and Undercover Operator for the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and worked with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. He also became an Adjunct Professor of Political Science and International Relations in 2003 at Imperial Valley Community College and worked there until 2011. Additionally, he served Adjunct Professor of Political Science at San Diego State University from 2009 to 2011.
While working with HSI, Tim has stated how intimately aware he became of the works of the trafficking rings, and he was often underwhelmed with how the official channels worked in such situations. Two cases in particular, one in Haiti and one in Colombia disenchanted him entirely from the organization, prompting him to leave the federal agency in 2013. He decided to team up with several others to establish Operation Underground Railroad, AKA OUR, with the backing of Glenn Beck.
Since then, Tim claims that he and his organization have worked tirelessly to save children from places across the globe. That being said, OUR has been viewed skeptically by many due to its apparent lack of transparency when it comes to financial matters. In 2021, The Atlantic reported that the Department of Homeland Security and CIA could not confirm Tim’s self-proclaimed experience as an agent since he did not grant them written permission. Additionally, per a court filing, the Justice Department advised ICAC in 2016 not to work with OUR, while ICAC Washington reiterated to local and state authorities that the two organizations were not linked.
Tim Ballard Actively Leading OUR
As of writing, Tim is based in Provo, Utah, and serves as the Founder of OUR and the CEO of The Nazarene Fund. Over the years, he has also written many books, some of which have even claimed a place in the best-selling charts. Tim’s story is the basis of the Alejandro Monteverde directorial ‘Sound of Freedom,’ and he himself has expressed much enthusiasm about the project. Even though his organization has often been viewed with skepticism by many, it has also received support from people like Corbin Kaufusi and Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, who have raised money for OUR.
Tim is happily married to Katherine Ballard, who is portrayed in the movie by Mira Sorvino. The couple has always been open about their passion when it comes to helping children in need of rescue from trafficking rings. In fact, they are proud parents of nine children, who range from ages 23 to 6. Two of their children were actually sold to Tim about four years ago during an operation in Haiti, and the Ballards were more than happy to welcome the kids into their lives. According to Tim, that particular story might just be the plot for a possible sequel of ‘Sound of Freedom.’ Recently, he has announced that he will be launching a podcast of his own.
Read More: Katherine Ballard: Where is Tim Ballard’s Wife Now?
