Late Army veteran honored with new Southside mural

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A veteran who lost his life in action is being honored by his community with a new mural dedicated to his impact in the Sunnyside neighborhood.

This mural is dedicated to Martin Barreras, an Army Ranger who lost his life while in action in 2014.

Each part of it represents a significant milestone in Barreras’s life, and it was all brought together with help from his family and the Tucson community.

As Gloria and Ray Barreras look at their son's new mural, they reflect on the type of man he was.

"He was a Command Sergeant Major," Ray Barreras said. He had his men that he worked with; they were his children, because he was so much older than they were. So he was just an awesome young man."

"We prayed for him and his men," Gloria Barreras said. "We loved the time we were able to spend with him. He loved doing what he did, and we're thankful for that."

They say that the same commitment Barreras had for his men was evident in his love for his family.

"He loved his brothers, he loved his mom, and his nieces and nephews," Ray Barreras said. "They’d come home, and he’d be on the floor with them playing and wrestling. They just loved him."

With a life as accomplished as his, local artist Pen Macias wanted to make sure it’s memorialized in this mural.

"The mural tells basically his childhood into his adolescence and then into a grown man," Macias said. "Then this side of the wall tells the story of his time in the service."

With Barreras’s family, Macias gathered the community, asking the arts foundation of Tucson and the people of Sunnyside for help.

Multiple community members grabbed brushes and started painting. Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva joined in, assisting Macias as well.

"Within this project, we wanted a piece that brought the community together and engaged with the community," Macias said. "So I developed a ground mural that also tells stories about Martin and brings in some insignia from the area and the community." "We worked together to make sure I was telling an authentic story about Martin’s life."

"We’re very appreciative of the fact that so many people appreciate what he did and what he stood for," Gloria Barreras said.

Martin Barreras was a pillar of the Sunnyside community, a sergeant and leader to his men, but to his parents...

"To us, he was just our boy," Gloria Barreras said.

"He was just our son, and we were very proud of him. We never, ever imagined that he would mean so much to so many people. It’s really heartwarming to know that so many people appreciated him for what he did and have reached out to the family and let us know that they know the sacrifice he made."