The William L. Babaian collection is made up of correspondence, photographs, greeting cards, and newspaper clippings related to Babaian's life and army service during the Vietnam War. The 16 items in the Correspondence series document his second term of military service. He wrote to his sister and brother-in-law, Marguerite and George Harms of Ann Arbor, Michigan, about his family. Several letters relate directly to his army experiences, including a lengthy letter in which he described his medical clinic in Vietnam (December 31, 1969) and a letter attaching two reports he composed on soldiers' health and obesity (February 10, 1970). He often attached photographs of his wife, children, and locations in Vietnam. A postcard depicts the Japanese "Aquapolis" from the 1975 World's Exposition.
Four additional Photographs show Babaian in uniform during each of his two terms of military service. The collection's Greeting cards are a humorous birthday card Babaian sent to Marguerite Harms, and a Christmas card he wrote from Korea (long after his military service), in which he described his impressions while revisiting the country. The Newspaper clippings series includes 4 clippings regarding Babaian's educational and military accomplishments.
William Levon Babaian was born in Mount Vernon, New York, to Iranian immigrant Abgar L. Babaian and his wife Loretta. William served in the United States Army Medical Corps from 1948-1952, during which time he completed a tour of duty in Korea during the Korean War. He received a bachelor's degree from Boston University in 1956, earned a master's degree in biology the following year, and graduated from the Tufts University School of Medicine in 1961. He opened a practice near Boston, Massachusetts, but re-entered the army in 1969 as a result of escalating hostilities in Vietnam. He served with the 23rd Artillery Group in Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star in December 1969, and remained in the military until at least 1976. He and his wife, Helen Bouchakian, also the daughter of Iranian immigrants, had several children, including a sons Michael, William, and Haig Steven.