Veteran Spotlight: Sergeant Richard Batista

Sergeant Richard Batista served his country in the United States Army during the Vietnam War from 1968 – 1970. Sergeant Batista did his basic training at Fort Dix, NJ. He was then sent to Fort Polk in Louisiana for advanced training and arrived in Vietnam in late 1968 in the 1st Air Cavalry at A Shau Valley where he was dropped into the jungle with an M-16, a pistol, ammo clip and equipment. He described his first impression as “frightening…..you didn’t know what to expect.” He was then assigned to Phu Vinh, where he was promoted to Sergeant. “I was always a leader…..I jumped two ranks….lots of guys were smoking weed, drinking a lot to numb the pain…..never did those things…..had to be alert, focused and in a good frame of mind…..if not, people got killed” he remembered. Sergeant Batista shared his three important qualities of leadership; “stay safe and do the right things….make sure your guns are always cleaned to prevent jamming in a firefight….treat everyone with respect and dignity.”

I asked him about being away for the holidays and he said, “you learn to deal with it….just another day…..saw Bob Hope a couple of times which was good.” Sergeant Batista also shared something powerful – “people tend to complain all the time about their problems…..let me tell you, you don’t have a problem until you know where I was…..you could get killed at any minute” he recalled. Sergeant Batista became emotional when recalling this memory and the heroism of his friend, Lt. Bob Poxon – “It was June 2, 1969 in the Province of Tay Ninh…..got dropped in a landing zone and came under intense fire….one of our guys got hit…..Lt. Poxon went to help the soldier and got hit himself shot…..told us to concentrate our firepower on an enemy bunker he identified…..gets up and runs toward the bunker and pulls the pin out of his grenade.....gets shot a second time….throws the grenade into the bunker but gets shot right before which proved to be fatal….Lt. Poxon’s courage and indomitable will are something that I will always admire and never forget” (Lt. Bob Poxon was awarded The Medal of Honor).

Sergeant Batista also shared a memory on his return home from Vietnam. “We were on a packed TWA flight with soldiers and as soon as we took off, there was a thunderous roar of screaming and yelling…..didn’t stop until we landed in Oakland seventeen hours later.” He continued; I was home for about a week or two, staying at my parent’s house….doorbell rings on a Saturday morning….I answer it and it’s the Mayor, James McIntyre….hands me a fruit basket…..did that for all the veterans in town that morning…..what a man he was” said Sergeant Batista, still touched by the memory. Summing up his service, he said this, “I was so honored to be a decorated combat veteran (he was awarded The Purple Heart and Bronze Star)….I’m proud of the fact for one reason – the designation on the medals I was awarded signifies that I saved lives.”

He is actively involved in the Boston, MA Wounded Veteran Run and continues his work to make veterans lives better. Sergeant Richard Batista, thank you for your service to our great country.