My name is Magnus Henry, family and friends call me Mac. I was born in Torrance California but when I was 7 our family moved to American Samoa. There I learned the Samoan way of life. I learned to speak samoan, grow bananas, taro and breadfruit. Our family also raised pigs and chickens. After high school I followed my brothers and joined the US Army as a Blackhawk Helicopter mechanic and a crew chief. I have 3 sisters and 3 brothers. My oldest brother joined the Navy, the 2nd brother joined the Air Force, my 3rd brother and I joined the Army.
I decided to become an MAI intern because of a referral from my cousin who also completed the MAI Program. Also because I love my country, I want to experience more of our forests and lakes and to help prevent and fight forest fires. One of my favorite Samoan quotes “E lele le toloa ‘ae ma‘au ile vai.” which is translated as “The duck flies but returns to the water.” So no matter which city or country I’ll go I’ll always want to return home. I’m excited to learn how to fight and prevent forest fires so that my kids and millions of younger generation will be able to experience more of nature not just during holidays but everyday.