August 28 - September 3 Personal coin for Chief of the Border Patrol Raul Ortiz Good morning! Welcome to another This Week in USBP History! Let me start this update with a brief story... On Friday, August 26, 2022, I happened to be in Washington DC. I had to go to a building called the National Place. It's across the street from the Ronald Reagan Building (RRB) where USBP HQ is located. The RRB has a parking garage that is convenient to use. As I finished parking my truck in the RRB, I checked my phone and saw that I had an email from Chief of the Border Patrol Raul Ortiz. In the email he asked me to give him a call about the "...awards issue I had raised before I retired". He was referencing nominations for past events that he had rejected, disapproving 370 employees from receiving USBP Honorary Awards. Of course, I immediately called him, let him know I was in the RRB and suggested I come to his office if he had the time. I think he may have been just as surprised that I was in the RRB as I was to receive his email. Five minutes later, I was in his office! Chief Ortiz began by telling me that he had watched a recent Medal of Honor presentation where several Vietnam veterans were recognized decades after their qualifying actions. He saw how the presentation emotionally touched both the recipients and everyone witnessing it. He told me that it reminded him of the award nominations that he had disapproved in 2020 and he realized that he had made a mistake. Chief Ortiz said that he wanted to contact me and personally let me know that he had reconsidered his past decision. That he had directed that all of the disapproved nominations be revived to go through the process to receive recognition. He said that there were too many to do at once. Therefore, they would be considered and presented in phases. I spent about 20-25 minutes in his office and left with one of his personal coins. I commend him for having the strength to change his decision, and for providing an example of valuing the workforce that should be emulated in the sectors. Borrowing from my time in the U.S. Navy - Bravo Zulu Chief Ortiz! Moving along, you know, I think every week is a huge week in USBP history. This week is no different! There are documents from 1918 that show the authorized and actual strength of the Mounted Watchmen. There's a 1924 document where the Commissioner-General recommended changing the title of Patrol Inspectors to Junior Immigrant Inspectors. From Joe Banco's HONOR FIRST: The Story of the United States Border Patrol - Volume II, we have information about the "Boatlift" in 1953, USBP canines being used in 1955, and the termination of the Border Patrol Air Transport Operation in 1972. (Thank you Joe!). We celebrate the heroism of four Newton-Azrak Award recipients on the anniversaries of their actions. We also remember two of our fallen on the anniversaries of their deaths. 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 1918
 Newton-Azrak Award Action Anniversaries Follow this link to see examples of USBP employees Upholding Honor First.
2002 Jered Bacon Border Patrol Agent Tucson Sector Robert M. Lawler Border Patrol Agent Tucson Sector On August 31, 2001, at about 1:15 a.m., while patrolling the border, Border Patrol Agents Robert M. Lawler, Jered Bacon, and Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Ed Tracy noticed an apartment building fire at 1850 Patagonia Highway near Nogales, Arizona. The agents immediately called for the Nogales Fire Department. The fire spread so quickly that the building was engulfed in flames without warning to the occupants. Realizing that the Nogales Fire Department would not arrive on time, and being the only individuals in the area, the agents took immediate action. Without regard for their own safety, the agents risked their lives to evacuate the building. Most of the occupants were sleeping in their beds at the time of the fire. By the time the Nogales Fire Department and the Nogales Police Department arrived, the agents had extracted all 22 occupants from the building, which by then was totally engulfed in flames. 2022 Ruben Gonzalez - photo, photo 2, award certificate, award set Border Patrol Agent San Diego, CA On September 1, 2021, at approximately 1:30 PM, beyond the call of duty, Border Patrol Agents Ruben Gonzalez and Christian Llamas entered a sewage contaminated area of the Pacific Ocean at great personal risk to save a swimmer facing certain death by drowning. After swimming approximately 50 yards through battering waves, BPA's Gonzalez and Llamas reached the exhausted swimmer and pulled him to shore, saving his life. BPA's Gonzalez's and Llamas' actions brought great credit upon themselves and the United States Border Patrol. Christian Llamas - photo, award set Border Patrol Agent San Diego, CA On September 1, 2021, at approximately 1:30 PM, beyond the call of duty, Border Patrol Agents Ruben Gonzalez and Christian Llamas entered a sewage contaminated area of the Pacific Ocean at great personal risk to save a swimmer facing certain death by drowning. After swimming approximately 50 yards through battering waves, BPA's Gonzalez and Llamas reached the exhausted swimmer and pulled him to shore, saving his life. BPA's Gonzalez's and Llamas' actions brought great credit upon themselves and the 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.
1950
Michael T. Box Date of Birth: August 4, 1901 Entered on Duty: November 25, 1926 Title: Airplane Pilot End of Watch: August 29, 1950 Details: Just after dawn on August 29, 1950, Airplane Pilot Michael T. Box was patrolling by plane in the irrigated farm area about 20 miles north of El Paso, Texas, searching for aliens who had walked through the desert at night and were attempting to get away to the north through the upper Rio Grande Valley. Pilot Box was working with two ground crews who were in radio-equipped jeeps. The operation had netted several aliens and others were being sought when the engine of the aircraft stopped and the plane crashed. It burst into flames; however, fellow officers were able to remove Pilot Box from the aircraft within minutes after the crash occurred. Artificial respiration was commenced immediately and was continued until Pilot Box was pronounced dead by a doctor who lived nearby. Investigation into the accident revealed that the motor of the aircraft ceased apparently due to difficulty in the fuel system. Pilot Box maintained control of the plane as it lost altitude and maneuvered the aircraft into position to make an emergency landing in an irrigation ditch. The aircraft struck a submerged object on the canal bottom upon impact. Pilot Box's seat strap was broken and he was thrown with terrific force into the wheel and instrument panel. He died instantly as his chest and skull were crushed, his jawbone was broken in two places, and both shoulders were broken. Gravesite 2021 Chad E. McBroom Entered on Duty: February 7, 1997 Title: Border Patrol Agent End of Watch: August 29, 2021 Details: Agent McBroom entered on duty on February 7, 1997, as part of the 329th Session of the Border Patrol Academy. At the time of his passing, he was assigned to the Tucson Sector Special Operations Detachment in Arizona. The circumstances of his passing were reviewed by an executive panel and the CBP Commissioner who determined that this death occurred in the line of duty. He is survived by his wife Magaly; children: Jackielynn, Kaya, and Reagan; and parents: Don and Sherry. 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
October 2024
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