Barry Fixler is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968 and fought on Hill 861-A during the legendary Siege of Khe Sanh. After receiving an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps in 1973, Fixler used the G.I. Bill to finance his undergraduate degree from the Gemological Institute of America and joined his father in the jewelry business. Today he lives with his wife Linda in Bardonia, N.Y., where he owns Barry’s Estate Jewelry.

Barry received national attention after successfully defending his life and jewelry store against two armed robbers on Valentine’s Day 2005. The point blank shootout was captured by a security camera, and was made into a segment for Most Shocking Videos. The raw footage of the gunfight is also a popular video on YouTube.

Barry has long been aware of his good fortune and has made point of sharing it. He has aided numerous wounded Marines and soldiers, to whom his loyalties are obvious, but has also helped people who have had no connections to the military. In recognition of his good citizenship and humanitarian efforts, Barry was named 2009 Veteran of the Year by the Rockland County Veterans Coordinating Council.

Barry’s work continues today with his pledge to raise a million dollars for combat-wounded veterans from the proceeds from his book Semper Cool: One Marine’s Fond Memories of Vietnam. Barry is donating all of his royalties from Semper Cool to combat veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

You can learn more about Barry’s foundation and monitor the progress of his million dollar goal on his web site: SemperCool.com.

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