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 Specialist (SPC) Cayetano Tony Acevedo, who served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
As a Veteran who has served his nation and his community in many different ways, Acevedo wanted to express his sincere gratitude to the Voices of Veterans Program before discussing his life and service. He said, “Before I begin this interview, I want to I just want to thank you and the Veterans Land Board for allowing me this opportunity to express my memories after being a member of the MSD [Memorial Service Detachment Honor Guard] at the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery. I am very honored and proud to be a part of this. It’s an honor for me to be here in this interview with you, and I want to thank you all.”
Acevedo was born in La Gloria, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, on a ranch. He graduated from high school in Raymond, Texas, in the early 70s and was drafted into the military shortly afterward. Acevedo’s mother wanted him to go to college so that he wouldn’t be drafted, but he said, “I knew we didn’t have a penny to our name. I knew that we couldn’t afford sending me to college. So, I kept that in my heart all this time.” Later, after his service, Acevedo enrolled in college and earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He declared, “I did it for her.”
Acevedo began his deployment in Saigon and was responsible for transporting soldiers, equipment, supplies, and classified messages. He also helped decode messages with military intelligence as he learned the ropes of service fresh out of high school. He admitted, “I didn’t know much,” but said that he was thankful for all of the lessons he received. He spent nine months in Vietnam before the war ended. During his service, Acevedo said he believes that a close encounter with a mortar explosion while driving his captain to an airstrip caused him to suffer a severe concussion. “I don’t remember to this day [...] how I got back to the barracks, who took the captain back, I can’t remember nothing!” He said that he has lasting effects from this incident and explained, “I suffer from vertigo. Every now and then, I can’t even walk straight.”
After leaving the service, Acevedo served as a Corpus Christi Police Officer for over 30 years, working in several different departments, including 18 years as a hostage negotiator. After retiring from the force, he continued serving his community and joined the MSD Honor Guard at the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery in 2012. A part of his duties as a member is participating in Unaccompanied Veteran Burials. He discussed how crucial these special ceremonies are to his community and how impactful they have been for him and the other members of the MSD.
As a Vietnam Veteran, Acevedo has noticed that his fellow Vietnam Veterans make up a large share of those who volunteer for Unaccompanied Veteran Burials and other events. He explained, “Most of the people, most of the members, are not the young members. These are the old Vietnam [and] World War II [Veterans]… Our Vietnam Vets are the ones who are our Patriot Guard Riders […] We’ve really stepped up to the plate. We had it rough when we first came back from the war, but we learned from that. They’re not gonna do that to nobody else.”
As a proud Veteran, Acevedo has found strength and purpose in being part of a tightly knit group like the MSD. He said, “I couldn’t have done it without that mentality of a group, a group being strong and helping one another, like our MSD honor guard team. Without that, I’m nobody. I couldn’t have completed 3,000 ceremonies. It took all of us […] Our cemetery has really blossomed. It takes a community, a Veteran community, and that support to get there.”
To listen to SPC Cayetano Tony Acevedo tell his story, click the button below:
SPC Cayetano Tony Acevedo's Story
RELATED: Voices of Veterans: Voices of Veterans: MSgt Edward Sanders Shares His Story of Service in the U.S. Air Force During the Vietnam War
RELATED: Voices of Veterans: Voices of Veterans: SP5 George Padilla Shares His Story of Service in the U.S. Army During the Vietnam War
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:
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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.
