AUSTIN — 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. In this episode, we hear the story of Texas Veteran Ross Garcia who grew up in Garland and Alice, Texas.

To listen to Texas Veteran Ross Garcia tell his story, visit VoicesofVeterans.org.

Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO) Garcia joined the U.S. Navy in 1988 as an Engineman. Six years later, he participated in First Class Dive school and started his diving career aboard the USS Reclaimer ARS-42 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. During his impressive diving career, he orchestrated underwater salvage and repairs to ships and submarines around the world. After the tragic 2007 collapse of Minnesota's Interstate 35W Mississippi River Bridge, he led a dive team to recover the 13 victims.

In 2012, MCPO Garcia retired and wrote about his experiences as a leader and time serving his nation in his book, View Through a Faceplate Window, Adventures of a Navy Master Diver. He now lives in Selma, Texas and creates a podcast on which he interviews his fellow Navy Divers about their unique deep sea diving experiences.

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 Their interviews are then permanently archived in the Office of Veterans Records at the GLO, where they join the historical documents of other Texas heroes such as Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Barret Travis.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 the over 500 archived stories of Veterans documented through the GLO's Voices of Veterans oral history program visit VoicesofVeterans.org.