National Guard Units mobilized and deployed to the Mexican Border. The date is 16 March 1916, the president, Woodrow Wilson.
On 4 August 1914, President Wilson declared the United States neutral regarding the turbulence worldwide. The Germans under Kaiser Wilhelm II the cousin of King George, and Otto von Bismarck of Prussia had been building up their alliance and war chest, with equipment of all kinds in order to accomplish the mission to rule the world.
Columbus, New Mexico was raided by Poncho Villa on 9 March 1916-thus the call up of the National Guard. Before this year there was no large contingent of guard troops. As a result, the passage of the National Defense Act of 3 June 1916 established the United States National Guard. In order to capture the elusive Poncho Villa, President Wilson fully mobilized Guard units on 18 June. The one exception was the state of Nevada, who had no state militia.
The 1916 Mexican Expedition with 6,000 US Troops under the command of Black Jack Pershing and his aide-de-camp George Patton, the Buffalo Soldiers and the National Guard were in hot pursuit of Poncho Villa. The American objective failed; however, it gave the US Army some experience in dealing with training, logistics and command using National Guardsmen.
During the time period 1914 -1916 Germany was beating the war drums. On 10 February 1915, the United States announces it will hold Germany responsible for the sinking of US ships by submarine. On 7 May 1915 the RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German U boat.
With the sinking of the Lusitania, 128 Americans were lost. One notable couple who vanished was Elbert and Alice Hubbard, publishers located in East Aurora, NY. They were on the way to interview Kaiser Wilhelm for one of their publications
Back to the extensive Poncho Villa chase. Even though a massive number of troops were on the move to catch the villain, a secret telegram was intercepted by the British. It is the famous 1917 Zimmermann Telegram. In it the Germans promised Mexico if they would recapture the lost territory of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, Germany would fund their alliance with Mexico.
The United States authenticated the telegram and released it to the public on 1 March 1917. On 6 April 1917, the US declared war on Germany. With the action of Arthur Zimmermann, he would tie the Mexican Revolution to the war in Europe. The big plan was to keep the US out of a possible World War.
We have come a long way---however? Facts to Ponder:
The American Volunteer Motor Ambulance Corps arrived at the front in 1914. Model T Fords and Buicks were used and the recruits that drove the ambulances were from the US.
Reverend Francis Patrick Duffy, a 1st Lieutenant, Chaplain to the New York Army National Guard was activated and deployed with his unit in 1916 to the United States, Mexico border. Rev. Duffy was the most highly decorated chaplain in World War I.
William McBryar (Class of 2016), was a Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army. For his action during the Cherry Creek Campaign in Arizona Territory he received the Medal of Honor.
Frederick Marable (Class of 2016) served in the US Army. In 2007 he founded the Official Arizona Centennial Legacy “Buffalo Soldiers of the Arizona Territory – Ladies and Gentlemen of the Regiment.”
The last female to serve in World War I passed away at 109 years old in 2007. Charlotte Winters, in the year 1916, called on Secretary Josephus Daniels in Washington, D.C. and asked why women were not allowed to enlist. A year went by before she joined the Navy. Winters joined the American Legion in 1919 and was a member for the next 88 years. |
MEMORIAL DAY AT THE SOUTHERN ARIZONA VETERANS MEMORIAL CEMETERY 