July 3 - July 9Good morning! Welcome to another This Week in USBP History! I want to start today by highlighting former U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, 17-year U.S. Border Patrol Agent (and SBPA), and retired Immigration Special Agent Ray Harris. HonorFirst.com, the Applicant's Forum and the Agent's Forum are the fruits of his efforts. It is my proud privilege to assist him, and these emails would not be possible without him. As is stated in Ray's USBP Commendation Medal certificate, "No single person has had a greater, positive impact on U.S. Border Patrol recruitment efforts than Ray Harris." He has been and continues to be a tremendous asset to the Patrol. His daily contributions to the future, current and former workforce is unique and without comparison. I have added a permanent section near the bottom of the email that gives a brief overview of Ray's federal career and provides a history of HonorFirst.com, the Applicant's Forum and the Agent's Forum. Please take a few moments to read it. Another email and more interesting tidbits of USBP history. This week brings us:
We remember the Newton-Azrak Award action anniversaries for six agents, two awards given posthumously. Also, we remember five of our fallen on the anniversaries of the deaths. Among the anniversaries are Susan L. Rodriguez and Ricardo G. Salinas who fell due to the same incident in 1998. A sad fact is that the USBP has lost two Agents/Inspectors due to the same event nine times (18 fallen). Their names are listed below:
Daniel P. Cox and Edgardo Acosta-Feliciano both fell on July 31, 2021. However, their causes of death were not related. thank you for reading and have a great week! Cliff PS -
Esprit de Corps The workplace climate resulting from a combination of organizational pride and employee morale.
Esprit de corps is reinforced through the shared goals, mission and values of the organization and its employees. The definition turns Esprit de Corps into a simple formula and defines parts that comprise organizational pride and employee morale. Esprit de Corps = Organizational Pride + Employee Morale Esprit de Corps is the key to a healthy organization and engaged employees. Honor First is foundational to the Border Patrol's organizational pride and integral to its Esprit de Corps. Documents/Events 1913
Newton-Azrak Award Action Anniversaries Follow this link to see examples of USBP employees Upholding Honor First.
1989 Thomas W. Slowinski Border Patrol Agent McAllen Sector On July 8, 1989, the roof of the Amigoland Department Store in Brownsville, Texas collapsed trapping several customers and employees inside the store. Border Patrol Agent Thomas W. Slowinski and his Service Canine “Barco” quickly deployed to Brownsville on a search-and-rescue operation and were able to rescue numerous survivors. While inside the building, searching for other trapped victims, another part of the roof and building collapsed; but, thankfully, Agent Slowinksi and Barco were able to find their way out of the rubble with no injuries. 1992 Darrel Welsh Senior Patrol Agent Tucson Sector On July 5, 1992, the largest manhunt in the history of the State of Arizona ended when escaped fugitive Danny Ray Horning was captured by Senior Patrol Agent Darrel Welsh. The actions of Agent Welsh were the result of a great deal of professionalism and devotion to duty. Horning was serving multiple life sentences for armed robbery, aggravated assault, and kidnapping and burglary. He had also been indicted for murder and dismemberment of the body of a witness against his brother in the State of California. Following what the FBI believed a frivolous lead, Agent Welsh responded to the area of a reported sighting. He confirmed the boot-print left by Horning and concluded he was indeed in the area. A short time later, Agent Welsh leaped into the ditch where Horning was huddled and single-handedly took him into custody. 1998 Susan L. Rodriguez Border Patrol Agent McAllen Sector Posthumously Awarded Ricardo G. Salinas Border Patrol Agent McAllen Sector Posthumously Awarded Orlando Sanchez Senior Patrol Agent McAllen Sector Border Patrol Agent Susan L. Rodriguez and Border Patrol Agent Ricardo G. Salinas lost their lives in the line of duty on July 7, 1998. Agent Rodriguez was the first woman female killed in the line of duty in the history of the Border Patrol. Agent Rodriguez, Senior Patrol Agent Orlando Sanchez, and Border Patrol Agent Ricardo G. Salinas had responded to assist the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office in the search for a double-murder suspect in Rio Hondo, Texas. As the agents were leaving the house where the murders took place, the suspect fired from a cornfield across from the residence and adjacent to the agent’s vehicles, and immediately hit Agent Salinas in the head. The suspect continued firing, hitting Agent Rodriguez in the leg and neck. The suspect continued to fire, hitting Cameron County Deputy Raul Rodriguez in the upper torso. The suspect also directed fire at SPA Sanchez as he sought cover in an adjacent field. SPA Sanchez returned fire. A barrage of gunfire was exchanged between the suspect, the Sheriff’s deputies, two Harlingen Police officers and SPA Sanchez. The suspect was hit and finally fell to the ground, dropping his weapon. Agent Salinas died immediately after being shot in the head and Agent Rodriguez died enroute to the hospital. SPA Sanchez was not only directly responsible for taking the suspect down, but he also tried to render aid to the fallen agents. He radioed for help, assisted EMS personnel and continued to do all he could up until Agent Rodriguez was airlifted to the hospital where she later died. Without SPA Sanchez’s quick and decisive actions, more people would have suffered injury or even death. 2019 Jason S. Weatherby - photo Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Spokane, WA On July 9, 2019, Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Jason Weatherby responded to assist a 70-year woman whose kayak had capsized in the swift, frigid current of the Kettle River. The women was ejected from her kayak, causing her to be swept underwater for an extended length of time. She eventually emerged and ultimately became entangled with a fallen tree in a fast moving, turbulent region of the water. Due to the extended length of time that had passed, paired with the extremely hazardous environment, and the women’s increasing physical exhaustion, she was unable to make it to shore. Determining that the woman would not be able to save herself, Agent Weatherby, beyond the call of duty and facing grave danger, entered the fast moving waters and swam to her. As he freed the victim from the log jam, the branches snapped and both were swept further down the river in the fast current. At great effort, Agent Weatherby maneuvered into a rescue arm position and swan across the current to the adjacent shoreline saving both of their lives. Agent Weatherby’s actions brought great credit upon himself and United States Border Patrol. USBP Fallen As of May 16, 2022, the U.S. Border Patrol has suffered 152* fallen. Titles:
The facts regarding each officer are presented without major editing of the "language of the day" found in the reports detailing the circumstances of each event. This is done to provide the reader an association with historical timeframes. Employees who died in the line of duty due to being exposed to deadly illnesses will not have the cause of death listed. *With the exception of two of the fallen immediately below, all names are listed (or in the process of being included) on the official Honor Roll of U.S. Border Patrol Fallen and inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. The U.S. Border Patrol should fix these discrepancies. HonorFirst.com honors both of the fallen.
1952
Edwin H. Wheeler Date of Birth: November 1, 1908 Entered on Duty: November 12, 1940 Title: Patrol Inspector in Charge End of Watch: July 6, 1952 Details: At about 9:45 p.m. on July 6, 1952, Patrol Inspector in Charge Edwin H. Wheeler was involved in a head-on auto collision on Highway 59 near a bridge spanning the Nueces River approximately four miles south of Mathis, Texas, in San Patricio County. Inspector Wheeler was in a government automobile traveling in a southerly direction after having been in Mathis on official business. It collided with an automobile driven by Milton Mareth, who was hospitalized with a fractured left arm. Three other passengers with Mareth received superficial cuts and bruises. Shortly after the accident, Inspector Wheeler's body was discovered lying on the front seat of the automobile, which had traveled over 400 feet beyond the point of original impact. His body was positioned as though it had fallen from behind the steering wheel, giving the appearance that he had been driving the automobile. Inspector Wheeler was pronounced dead by a nurse who stopped at the scene of the accident. The body was removed to a mortuary in Alice, Texas, where, at 1:30 p.m. the following day, a bullet hole was discovered in Inspector Wheeler's head. An autopsy performed on July 7, 1952, revealed death was instantaneous from a bullet wound in the head above the right ear. Investigation into various aspects of the case led to the conclusion that Inspector Wheeler was shot to death by an unknown person or persons. Gravesite 1974 Glenn A. Phillips Date of Birth: July 25, 1948 Entered on Duty: April 30, 1973 Title: Patrol Agent End of Watch: July 8, 1974 Details: Border Patrol Agent Glenn A. Phillips of the Chula Vista Station, Chula Vista Sector, was killed in a jeep accident on July 8, 1974. He was traveling alone on the Tijuana Street Extension, a dirt road located near the international boundary approximately one mile west of the Port of Entry at San Ysidro. Agent Phillips was responding to a call for assistance from Patrol Agent Petraglia who had spotted a group of aliens entering the United States illegally. The San Diego Police Department's report indicates that Agent Phillips was traveling at approximately 20 miles per hour, probably without lights, when his jeep crashed into the front end of a parked flatbed trailer. The jeep was badly damaged and the front of the trailer extended well into the interior and to the rear of the jeep. The bed of the trailer struck the right side of Agent Phillips' face, apparently killing him instantly. Gravesite 1998 Susan L. Rodriguez Date of Birth: July 11, 1969 Entered on Duty: September 20, 1992 Title: Border Patrol Agent End of Watch: July 7, 1998 Details: On July 7, 1998, Border Patrol Agent Susan Lynn Rodriguez and several other agents responded to a call for assistance from the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department south of Benito, Texas. The Sheriff’s deputies were pursuing a double homicide suspect. Agent Rodriguez was helping to set up a perimeter in an attempt to contain the fleeing suspect in a wooded area where he was believed to be hiding. As Agents Rodriguez and Ricardo Salinas walked back to their vehicle, the suspect emerged from a cornfield and began firing on them and the other law enforcement officers on the scene. During the ensuing gun battle, Agents Rodriguez and Salinas were killed. Agent Rodriguez was the first female agent in the history of the United States Border Patrol to lose her life in the line of duty. At the time of her death, she was assigned to the Harlingen Station of the McAllen Sector. She was a graduate of the 261st session of the U.S. Border Patrol Academy in Glynco, Georgia. Gravesite Ricardo G. Salinas Date of Birth: April 29, 1974 Entered on Duty: September 8, 1997 Title: Border Patrol Agent End of Watch: July 7, 1998 Details: On July 7, 1998, Border Patrol Agent Ricardo G. Salinas and several other agents responded to a call for assistance from the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department south of Benito, Texas. The Sheriff’s deputies were pursuing a double homicide suspect. Agent Salinas was helping to set up a perimeter in an attempt to confine the suspect to a wooded area where he was believed to be hiding. As Agents Salinas and Susan Lynn Rodriguez walked back to their vehicle, the suspect emerged from a cornfield and began firing on them and other law enforcement officers at the scene. During the ensuing gun battle, Agents Salinas and Rodriguez were killed. At the time of his death, Agent Salinas was assigned to the Harlingen Station of the McAllen Sector. He was a graduate of the 351st session of the U.S. Border Patrol Academy in Charleston, South Carolina. Gravesite 2012 Leopoldo Cavazos, Jr. Date of Birth May 12, 1983 Entered on Duty: May 22, 2006 Title: Border Patrol Agent End of Watch: July 6, 2012 Details: On July 6, 2012, Border Patrol Agent Leopoldo Cavazos Jr., a six-year veteran posted at the Fort Hancock Station, died from injuries sustained in an on-duty, all-terrain vehicle accident near the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. Agent Cavazos is survived by his wife, two daughters and a third child expected later this summer. Agent Cavazos entered on duty with the U.S. Border Patrol on May 22, 2006, as a member of the 621st Session of the Border Patrol Academy. After graduating from the Academy, he was assigned to the Fort Hancock Station in the El Paso Sector. Gravesite |
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Clifford GillBlog author, retired U.S. Border Patrol Assistant Chief and, current U.S. Border Patrol employee advocate. Ray HarrisSite founder and owner, former Supervisory Border Patrol Agent and retired Immigration Special Agent. Joseph BancoU.S. Border Patrol historian and retired Deputy Chief Patrol Agent. Archives
September 2023
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