Bal served for 22 years with the Queens Gurkha Engineers, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant. During his time in the Army, he saw active service in a number of locations around the world, including Hong Kong, Belize, Norway and Iraq. Bal then took up the position of Assistant Area Welfare Officer for the Dhaulagiri Region on behalf of the Gurkha Welfare Scheme, the ‘on the ground’ division of the Gurkha Welfare Trust. He worked there for three years, ensuring the welfare and support for ex-Gurkhas and managing logistics throughout the region for the charity.