AUSTIN — Today, Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D. is proud to begin spotlighting the VLB's Voices of Veterans oral history program and the invaluable stories of Texas Veterans it has preserved. In this episode, we hear the story of Texas Veteran Mr. John Simmons Jr. of Corpus Christi.

Mr. Simmons is a retired U.S. Navy Aircraft Mechanic who served for 20 years. During his time in service, Mr. Simmons completed three tours in Vietnam and served on the USS Kitty Hawk. He traveled across the world during his military career and his favorite plane to work on was the KA-3B Inflight Refueler.

To listen to Mr. Simmons tell his story visit: VoicesofVeterans.org.

Voices of Veterans is the first Veteran oral history program undertaken by a state agency and records the stories of Texas Veterans from their time in service to their return home from combat.

Veterans interested in including their stories in the Voices of Veterans oral history program can contact the VLB at 512-475-1248. Veterans can also fill out a contact form at VoicesofVeterans.org. Please note that the Veteran must be a resident of Texas at time of interview. 

The Voices of Veterans oral history program records the stories of Texas Veterans and archives their interviews in the Office of Veterans Records at the Texas General Land Office (GLO) for use by future researchers, historians, genealogists and the general public to inspire future generations and remind us of our Veterans' sacrifices.

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