Battles graduated with a BFA in Painting from Northeast Missouri State University in 1991, and earned his MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford in September 2013.

Battles is currently a civilian combat artist for the Naval History and Heritage Command at the Navy Yard in D.C. Before that he served as a Marine combat artist (2006-2014) and deployed to Overseas Contingency Operations several times to create art for the United States Marine Corps. His work has been featured in publications and art venues across the country.

Battles' work was on display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. as a part of the art show " Fly Marines! The Centennial of Marine Corps Aviation 1912-2012 from January 2012 through January 2013.

Battles' work was featured on the cover of Leatherneck magazine, March 2008 and December 2009, and his illustrations for the "Sharing the Courage" series were featured in Marines Magazine, Oct/Nov/Dec 2009, and in a Marine Corps Times article "Heroics Illustrated, comic-book style" by James K. Sanborn, March 22nd, 2010.

Battles was featured in the New York Times Arts & Leisure section on July 18th, 2010, in an article by Carol Kino entitled, "With Sketchpads and Guns, Semper Fi"

Battles was invited to be guest speaker for the graduation of the Multi-Media Illustrator Course at the Defense Information School in Ft. Meade, MD, September 2008.  He was featured artist and guest speaker at the USS Constitution Museum, Boston, MA during Marine Week in May, 2010, and his work was also on display May 5th 2010 in the John F. Kennedy School of Government for Harvard University. Battles was also guest speaker at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, January 28th 2011,and was forum speaker at The Army and The Navy Club in Washington, DC March 2nd, 2011.

Battles was featured in ABC's "Persons of the Week: Combat Artists" with Charlie Gibson, September 2007, along with fellow combat artist and Hartford MGA alumnus Michael Fay, and combat artists Charles Grow and Col. Charles Waterhouse.