New England Patriots Foundation Honors Babson Student and Vietnam Veteran

Listen
Two men shaking hands at Vietnam Veterans' Ceremony
Vietnam veteran Richard Battista MBA’23 shakes hands with former Patriots Linebacker Andre Tippett as Patriots offensive lineman Cole Strange (center) looks on. | Courtesy of the New England Patriots/Eric J. Adler.

Richard Battista MBA’23, a Bronze Star recipient who served as a combat infantryman in the Vietnam War, joined 99 of his fellow Vietnam veterans Wednesday at Gillette Stadium to be honored for his service by the New England Patriots Foundation.

Battista, 73, got a chance to shake hands with Patriots offensive lineman Cole Strange, former Patriots linebacker Andre Tippett, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s family as he and his fellow veterans were honored at a special pinning ceremony.

“I met Josh Kraft, who is Bob Kraft’s son,” Battista said. “I did invite him to the Babson College campus to spend some time with students.”

The ceremony commemorated National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration established the Commemorative Partner Program, an initiative to thank and honor Vietnam veterans and their families, and the Patriots have joined them in their efforts to pay tribute to those who served.

Veterans and family members also were treated to a luncheon after the ceremony.

Posted in Babson Briefs

More from Babson Briefs »

Latest Stories

Yearbook pictures of Bob Lufkin ’75, MBA’76 and Naomi (Shotten) Lufkin ’75
A Half-Century Perspective: A Class of 1975 Alumnus Reflects on Babson's No. 2 Ranking  With The Wall Street Journal again ranking Babson College the No. 2 Best College in America, Bob Lufkin ’75, MBA’76 reflects on how far the College has come.
By
November 7, 2025

Posted in Community

Babson students congregate in Babson Commons
Would You Work 72 Hours a Week? Here’s What Babson Students Say From burnout to ambition, Babson students debate the idea of working 12 hours a day, six days a week taking hold at some tech companies in Silicon Valley.
By
Hillary Chabot
Writer
Hillary Chabot
Hillary Chabot is a writer for Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. An award-winning journalist, she is known for her insightful reporting and dedication to detailed storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has covered a wide range of topics, from presidential campaigns and government policy to neighborhood issues and investigative series. As a reporter for The Boston Herald, Hillary earned a reputation for tenacity and integrity. Her work at Babson College fuels her passions—to learn something new every day and conduct thoughtful, empathic interviews. She’s thrilled to be at Babson College, where students, faculty, staff members and classes provide compelling copy daily.
November 5, 2025

Posted in Insights

Babson Professor Jeffrey Shay ’87, MBA’91, sits at a table with professors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Babson Works with HBCUs to Boost Entrepreneurship Education A case-writing program, which teaches participants how to develop a hallmark of business education, is one of several Babson initiatives with Historically Black Colleges and Universities that aim to empower entrepreneurial leaders and the professors who educate them.
By
John Crawford
Senior Journalist
John Crawford
A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.
October 31, 2025

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership