Keynote Speaker: Monday, May 29th, 2023 at 12pm

Dave Roever grew up in a loving, committed family in South Texas. The last thing on his mind was going to war. At the height of the Vietnam War, he received his draft notice. Having no desire to serve in the infantry, he joined the Navy and served as a river boat gunner in the elite Brown Water Black Beret in Vietnam.

Eight months into his tour of duty in Vietnam, Roever was burned beyond recognition when a phosphorous grenade he was poised to throw exploded in his hand. The ordeal left him hospitalized for fourteen months, where he underwent numerous major surgeries. His survival and life are miraculous.

Today, with his humorous style, Dave Roever is enthusiastically received both nationally and internationally as a public speaker. He is a gifted communicator and speaks in a variety of settings including public schools; military installations; business, men’s and youth conventions; etc.

In every setting, Mr. Roever’s message is one of hope. Using his life as an example, he addresses issues relevant to his audience and presents concrete solutions to life’s problems. Often drawing upon his war experiences of loneliness, peer pressure, disfigurement and pain, as well as life’s triumphs, Dave weaves together a message of courage, commitment and survival that touches and transforms those who hear him. Thirty-four years after his injuries, the Department of the Navy corrected its oversight  by awarding Dave his Purple Heart, along with several other service medals. Because of his war-time experience of service, injury and recovery, he is uniquely qualified to speak to the needs of military personnel. He is called upon regularly to address troops on domestic military bases as well as those deployed in hot spots around the globe.

Dave Roever is founder, chairman, and president of Roever Foundation based in Fort Worth, Texas. Dave and his wife Brenda co-founded Eagles Summit Ranch Colorado, near Westcliffe, and Eagles Summit Ranch Texas, near San Antonio. At these facilities and others, Dave Roever and his team help to restore hope and train wounded warriors, and promising young leaders in areas of specific focus such as public speaking, and emotional recovery after devastating injury, helping them to fulfill their destinies, through Operation Warrior RECONnect.

MILITARY SERVICE

1968 - 1971  U.S. Navy, Special Warfare Division, with a tour of duty in Vietnam; injured in Vietnam in July 1969  

CIVILIAN AWARDS

Honorary doctorate in recognition of his remarkable life and service, May 2005
The Outstanding Civilian Service Medal  
by the U. S. Department of the Army, April 2012

MILITARY AWARDS

1968 - 1971 U.S. Navy, Special Warfare Division, with a tour of duty in Vietnam; injured in Vietnam in July 1969