Community comes together after lightning strike kills veteran's wife

Veteran loses wife after house struck by lightning
Valley Central
by Veronica Gallegos
Posted: 06.15.2013

Most of the people that were at Raul Vera's home in Mercedes all had something in common; they honor the red, white and blue.

Many served in wars, fighting for this country.

"The flag represents everything that we hold near and dear as veterans of the armed forces that is our most sacred symbol," Americas Last Patrol member Mario Llanas said.

The group helping with Operation Clean-up is fighting for something else.

They are trying to help a man who lost it all, and will now have to rebuild his life that was shattered after lightning struck his house and set it ablaze a week ago.

Not only did the disaster destroy all Vera owns, but left his wife, Martina severely burned on more than 50 percent of her body.

Pictures are the treasured memories Raul Vera wants to recover, it’s all he has left of his late wife 78- year-old Martina Vera.

"They had disconnected her yesterday from life support and they were monitoring her, keeping her as comfortable as possible and I guess checking to see if she would improve but she kept getting steadily worse," Mercedes Veterans War Memorial Irma Agueros said.

With no signs of improvement Raul Vera made the hardest decision he’s had to make in his 89 years, taking his beloved Martina off of life support.

She died early Saturday morning.
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Veteran loses wife after house struck by lightning