![DRTV_Barrera_wife](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20161024045710im_/https://www.dav.org/wp-content/uploads/DRTV_Barrera_wife.jpg)
“Help make sure that after defending our freedom, our veterans and their loved ones get the care they earned.” – Bobby Barrera, Marine veteran of Vietnam
Donate to DAVRoberto "Bobby" Barrera
Roberto “Bobby” Barrera, a Marine veteran, was seriously burned when enemy forces in Vietnam exploded a 500-pound bomb rigged as a land mine beneath the armored personnel carrier he was traveling in. The explosion and fireball that ripped through the vehicle burned Bobby over 40 percent of his body, causing serious facial burns, the loss of his right hand at the wrist and his left arm at the shoulder. Bobby turned to DAV for help and ultimately rose to lead the organization as National Commander in 2009. Bobby and his wife, Maricelia, reside in San Antonio, Texas. They have three grown children and four grandchildren.