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. This week, we highlight the service of Captain Havana Schmidt, who served in the U.S. Army.
Schmidt was born in Fredericksburg, Texas, in November 1991. Her mother and father are also native Texans and come from ranching families. Schmidt is the oldest of four children; her youngest brother is a Texas Ranger. Schmidt was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2010.
Growing up she didn't have specific dreams of joining the military, but knew she wanted to help support her community and country.
"I didn’t grow up in a military family, and I hadn’t thought much about it until my family went on vacation when I was in high school, and we visited the Naval Academy. I didn’t even know service academies existed and that the route for commissioning was a possibility. At the time, I thought, ‘Why would anyone do that? Why would anyone put themselves through that? However, I wanted to do more than go to school. I wanted to serve the country somehow."
Schmidt was around 10 years old when 9-11 occurred. She said she was inspired to help protect her country by the terrible events that unfolded that day. She considered working for the federal or state government to help support her community but decided to apply to West Point after considering the degree opportunities and exposure to new experiences this service academy offered.
Her family supported her decision to attend West Point and enter the Army. Even her grandfather, who served in World War II and, after sustaining severe injuries, felt “war is hell on earth and is no place for a lady,” eventually came around and was proud of his granddaughter for finishing all four years of school.
She majored in Art Philosophy and Literature at West Point. She also went to Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia, the summer after her freshman year. Schmidt graduated in 2014 as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S Army.
“Graduation day is still, over six years later, the best day of my life. West Point has its positives and negatives; it’s overwhelming, and I couldn’t believe I did it. Through all those trials and tribulations, I managed to get to the point where I could throw my hat up in the air, and it was just pure joy.”
After graduating, Schmidt was ranked number one in the Adjutant General Service Branch and assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. She was an Adjutant General Officer and the only female officer in her 500-person unit. Regarding the unit’s leadership, Schmidt said, “I was fortunate to have good commanders, and I’m still in touch with a couple of them today.”
Schmidt was transferred to Fort Shafter in Honolulu, Hawaii, to work in an assistant secretary-general staff position with the Army Pacific Command. After she served her mandatory five years, Schmidt decided that the military lifestyle was not what she wanted for a long-term career.
“I was interested in pursuing a legal career. I'm keeping my options open; I may decide to come back and apply as a JAG officer in the future. I got to the point where I wasn’t set on this being my career, and I’m not sure that with that disposition, I would be able to give soldiers the care and attention they deserve. I wanted to change direction and set a new path.”
Schmidt left the U.S. Army in 2019 and went on to attend Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas but experienced the difficulties of attending law school during the COVID-19 pandemic. She spoke about finally being able to attend classes in person and hoped that she would be able to take her final exams in person. She admitted with a laugh, “It’s not the first year of law school I envisioned, but it is what it is.”
Schmidt spoke about the challenges she and her fellow female cadets faced at West Point and later as members of the U.S Army.
"When I was at West Point, the core was only about 15 percent female maybe, and when you think about it […] that’s 200 female cadets in my class, probably less than that, out of 1,000 people. It was challenging, a really male-dominated, hyper-masculine culture. I think a lot of women felt the pressure to outperform the men because we knew that we were representing all women. When I was there, combat exclusion was still making its way through the courts. Women weren’t allowed to go into infantry and armor."
She commented that the Army has taken strides to combat the stigma surrounding support branches and women in the military. During her time at West Point, she became the first leader of the Cadets Against Sexual Harassment and Assault program. She said this program was "the core’s first crack at a grassroots education and training system to teach cadets about these issues and create a more equitable culture. That was a challenging job. My team and I wrote the curriculum, created the structure, and implemented it. It gave me insight into some of the systemic and social inequalities faced by women.”
Overall, Schmidt believes that the military is challenging for everyone and “teaches you that you can push yourself past your limits and still succeed and get the mission done." These were traits Schmidt said her mother and father also instilled in her and allowed her to get her " foot in the door at West Point because it was the same work ethic and approach to life. I wouldn’t be who I am today, and law school would seem like the hardest thing I’ve ever done if I didn’t have these experiences.”
To listen to Captain Havana Schmidt tell her story, click the button below:
Captain Havana Schmidt's Story
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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: