AUSTIN, Texas—Today, Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is proud to introduce the next installment of the series highlighting the VLB's Voices of Veterans oral history program. This week, we highlight the service of Sergeant (Sgt.) Henry Banh, who served in the United States Marine Corps.
Born in August 1983 in Sacramento, California, Banh is one of nine children and a first-generation American. He graduated from high school in 2001. Banh said he was never in ROTC while in high school, so it came as a shock to his family and friends when he told them he wanted to join the Marine Corps.
Bahn said his recruiter prepared him for Boot Camp and what that experience would entail, including the lack of sleep, anxiety, and stress of those 13 weeks. This advice helped Bahn manage the experience better. One thing he said he would never forget about those initial weeks was the different people he met.
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Sergeant Henry Banh
"Dealing with different people from all across the country really opened my eyes to how service-orientated this country is, you know, how patriotic this country is and how much people are willing to put their lives on hold to serve a country that has given back to so many people," Bahn said.
He also vividly remembered the attack on American soil on September 11, 2001 and where he was on that terrible day.
"I was in grass week and grass week is when we're learning the rifle, we're learning how to shoot and our drill instructors actually came and set us all down while we were having lunch and told us America was attacked." They didn't have televisions to watch or eyes on the outside world. Bahn recalled, "All of us were thinking that this was a trick, you know, this is just another attempt for our drill instructors to work harder."
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Sergeant Henry Banh
Bahn's military career took him across the globe, and he spent time in many places with diverse cultural landscapes, including Japan, Russia, and Bangladesh. Bahn said he arrived in Moscow with a blank slate, soaking in what the country offered while learning more about its history.
"I went to Moscow not knowing anything about the country, but it was interesting when I got there, because I learned about the recent history of Moscow," Bahn said before describing a specific moment that's stuck with him. "I was walking down the street next to the Embassy, and I realized this was the same street that tanks were rolling down a little over a decade ago. I was just in awe of being in a place where all of this recent history just happened."
To listen to Sergeant Henry Banh tell his story, click the button below:
RELATED: Voices of Veterans: Clovis Thompson Shares His Story of Service in the U.S. Marines during WWII
Veterans can email VoicesofVeterans@glo.texas.gov to tell their stories. Please note that the Veteran must be a resident of Texas at the time of their interview.
Voices of Veterans is a state agency's first Veteran oral history program. It records the stories of Texas Veterans through their time in service and after returning home from combat.
The VLB records interviews with Veterans over the phone or in person. Their interviews are then permanently archived in the Office of Veterans Records at the GLO, where they join the historical documents of other Texas heroes such as Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Barret Travis.
Veterans' interviews are also available to researchers, historians, genealogists, and the public. These precious records inspire future generations and remind us of our Veterans' sacrifices.
To listen to the over 500 archived stories of Veterans documented through the GLO's Voices of Veterans oral history program, click the button below:
# # #
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., brings a lifetime of experience to the Texas General Land Office (GLO). In 2016, she became the first Republican elected to the Texas State Senate from Travis County and the first woman to represent Texas Senate District 24. She made history again in 2022, winning a statewide election to become our state’s first female Land Commissioner.