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Picture

This Week in USBP History, Vol. 60

10/23/2022

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October 23 - October 29

PictureInaccurate history from the USBP's official social media accounts
Good morning!
 
Welcome to another This Week in USBP History!  
 
Before I start the intro, let me extent a huge thank you to Joe Banco.  He shared over 1,000 Border Patrol photographs with me and gave me permission to post them in the Honor First Photo Galleries.  I updated every gallery with his photos.  Visit the Honor First Photo Galleries!
 
If you think about it, researching history is very similar to investigating a crime which is to say there is a general understanding of what happened but many of the details are missing.  Further, the evidence that is discovered during the investigation may reshape and sometimes entirely change the initial perspectives.
 
Folklore and inaccurate history are created when the gaps of the unknown are filled with inaccurate and/or untrue narratives that are presented as fact.  All of us know that it is human nature to fill the unknown with what make sense in the absence of information.  That is usually done without any bad intent or malice. Examples of Border Patrol folklore and inaccurate history include:
  • Jefferson Davis Milton (1861-1947) was the first Patrol Inspector,
  • The Border Patrol was created by law,
  • Patrol inspectors were required to provide their own horses and firearms,
  • Detroit was the first sector and/or station,
  • El Paso was the first sector and/or station,
  • Camp Chigas is still standing in Mexico,
  • Etc, etc, etc...
(By the way, all of those subjects are addressed in the HonorFirst History Page)​
 
In the past decade, much of the Patrol's historic gaps have been filled with quality research at the National Archives and by using other reputable sources.  Even then, some gaps exist and logical inferences must be made.  When I use an inference as I write about history you'll see me use the phrases, "indications are" or "it is believed".  Joe Banco will be even more direct when he fills in the gaps as when he wrote (emphasis added):
  • Officially, the initial Border Patrol Stations in the first 30 Border Patrol Sub-Districts (later to be renamed Sectors) were stood up on the same date, July 1, 1924, but it is rumored that Detroit District Inspector in Charge Ruel Davenport ordered the Detroit Station to be opened and renamed in mid-June 1924, although no records could be found to verify it.
    • From - HONOR FIRST:  The Story of the United States Border Patrol - Volume I by Joseph Banco
    • I should note that after Joe had written his book, two additional sub-district were discovered.  Meaning that the USBP began with 32 Sub-districts.  See the HonorFirst History Page​ for a listing and the historical documents.
​
Joe and I allow the evidence found in the old documents to drive the narratives we write, even when the folklore and/or inaccurate history may be more appealing.  We always let truth to trump appeal.  When we fill in the gaps, we do it based on our opinions which are anchored in significant research and study.
 
Joe and I know, more than most, the challenge and difficulty of correcting folklore and inaccurate history.  I have been met with anger for spouting what some considered to be Border Patrol blasphemy and threatened with Border Patrol hell.  Some folks couldn't believe that Jeff Milton was neither in the Patrol nor a Patrol Inspector.  Other folks were severely offended when I put El Paso's Where the Legend Began phrase in a correct historical context (see the HonorFirst History Page).
 
Joe and I do not put forth such effort for monetary gain.  Joe is not showered with riches due to book sales (which you absolutely should purchase), and HonorFirst.com is not monetized.  Joe and I enjoy the discovery and the sharing of the knowledge that we acquired about an organization of which we care deeply.
 
However, a single post to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter from an official social media account can destroy hundreds of hours of careful and tedious research.  Such posts perpetuate folklore and inaccurate history, concealing the research that has proven that much of the Patrol's history may not be as spectacular or sensational as originally thought, but is undoubtedly far richer and interesting.  And more importantly, such perpetuation damages organizational pride.
 
Last week, the photo to the right was launched from several of the Patrol's official social media accounts, perpetuating folklore and inaccurate history. Directly addressing the post's claims:
  • There was not a first station, but many first stations. Just like there wasn't a first female Border Patrol Agent, but five first female agents that graduated with Class 107 in 1975.
  • No official Immigration Service documents have been discovered in the National Archives that support the popular claim that there were more Patrol Inspectors assigned to the Northern Border to address prohibition.  We don't know why more inspectors were assigned to the northern border.  This file contains an April 30, 1924 memo and it responses to the question of how many Patrol Inspectors each district wanted once funding was received.  The southern border requested three times more inspectors than the northern border. 
 
Those responsible for managing the Patrol's social media must show better diligence when presenting the Patrol's history.  One post can derail hours of careful research and damage organizational pride.
 
Thank you for letting me vent!  Perhaps a more influential reader or two might be able to remind HQ that the national and sector Strategic Communications shops most be more careful with their Throwback Thursday history posts.  I would be happy to vet their historic posts before publication, just as I imagine Joe would too.
 
Today's update begins with at 1928 shooting where two Patrol Inspectors and two Mounted Customs Inspectors faced down alcohol smugglers in El Paso, Texas.  We have a 1936 letter from a uniform vender requesting clarification on the color of the leather (there were two colors in use at the time). And we have several updates thanks to Joe Banco's books.
 
There are no know Newton-Azrak Award action anniversaries this week.  Therefore, I will highlight the actions of Supervisory Immigration Officer James F. Murphy who received the Newton-Azrak Award in 1988.  I have conducted numerous searches and cannot find any additional information on his action.  If you have any information about it, please send it my way so I can update the site.
 
We also remember five of the Patrol's fallen on the anniversaries of their deaths.
 
Enjoy the blog and have a great week!
 
Cliff
PS - 
  • As an open and continuous invitation to current and former USBP employees, I am always accepting photos to post in the USBP Photo Galleries and in the Upholding Honor First pages.  I sure would appreciate you visiting those pages and sending me anything that you think I could post (just send them to cliff@honorfirst.com).
  • As always, make sure to explore all of the hyperlinks to documents and pages.
  • Finally, please forward this blog to whomever you think may enjoy it.


Esprit de Corps
 
The workplace climate resulting from a combination of organizational pride and employee morale.
  • Organizational pride is the positive feeling experienced by employees from being part of a meaningful team that is rich in history, tradition and culture.
  • Employee morale is the feeling experienced by employee based in part on their perception of:
    • Being valued by the organization,
    • Fairly compensated, and
    • Performing meaningful work.
 
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

1928
  • A cover memo to the Commissioner-General and brief report of a shooting/alcohol seizure that occurred on October 24, 1928.  In this incident, Immigration Border Patrol and a Mounted Customs officer were working together. The following inspectors were involved in the shooting:
    • Patrol Inspector Douglas D. Pyeatt (1902-1944)
    • Patrol Inspector Irvin H. Cone (1902-1977)
1936
  • This October 27, 1936 letter is from a company that manufactured USBP uniforms.  The letter is asking clarification concerning the color of the leather for the bill of the USBP's Pershing hat.  This is question is in response to the USBP's second Uniform Policy, General Order 179 (GO179), where the Sam Brown belt colors were different for the northern border (black) and the southern border (cordovan).
1940
  • On October 23, 1940, a one-page memo was written that provided estimated costs for constructing sub-district headquarters buildings on the northern border at Lynden, WA; Bonners Ferry, ID; Havre, MT; Grand Forks, ND; and Buffalo, N.Y.
1944
  • On October 27, 1944, a memo was written that provided recommended changes to Forms I-45, I-45A and I-45B.
1950
  • In 1950, Camp Chigas had been the location of the Sector HQ, station and the academy for many years.  The buildings were old and not really meeting the needs of the Patrol.  So, proposals had been presented to create a training facility in El Paso.  This October 24, 1950 memo, discussed the status of continuing the construction of the new training location.
    • Earlier memos also concerning the project include:
      • A June 5, 1950 memo and an August 8, 1950 lease agreement that identifies the construction location.
    • This memo also has significant information, specifically correcting erroneous history concerning the beginning of a national training academy.  See the paragraph below:
      • The Border Patrol Training School was set up in 1936 in space that had previously been a part of the office of the Chief Patrol Inspector. Alien apprehensions between 1936 and 1942 varied from ten to twenty per day and these could be readily processed-in the space available. For the past several years, alien apprehensions have been running from 100 to 200 per day, and it is not possible to handle and process the large groups now being brought into El Paso in the space presently available. The Chief Patrol Inspector now regularly uses one of the school classrooms for handling and processing aliens since this classroom is vacant during the afternoon when part of the students are at the Target Range.
    • If still standing, the building housing the El Paso Sub-district 2 headquarters and station, and the first national training school (also known as Camp Chigas) would be located in the United States by 10-20 feet.  See this document. However, there is a former U.S. Border Patrol Building that is still standing that is located in Mexico. It is the Comisión Internacional de Límites y Aguas building.​ See this document​.
1959​
  • In response, INS Commissioner Joseph M. Swing (1894-1984) designated the Chief Patrol Inspector of Tampa Sector as lead coordinator for a task force operation that was designated as Operation Pressure, with the objective “to cope with the illegal entry of Cuban nationals and the illicit traffic of aliens, arms and ammunition between the United States and Cuba.” Forty-eight Patrol Inspectors, eight Border Patrol Pilots, four aircraft, and 27 sedans were immediately moved to Tampa Sector to supplement the forces currently in the Sector. The main contingent of Patrol Inspectors was transported from Brownsville, TX, to Tampa, FL, eighteen hours after the notice went out on October 29, 1959. A week later, Operation Pressure would morph into Operation Skyward after Attorney General William Pierce Rogers (1913-2001) enacted Presidential Directive 3004 and directed the Department of Justice to lead the operations to counter efforts to destabilize the region and put into effect measures to prevent the smuggling of aliens and contraband.
    • From - HONOR FIRST:  The Story of the United States Border Patrol - Volume II by Joseph Banco
1967
  • The efforts of the U.S. Border Patrol were recognized by Attorney General Ramsey Clark (1927-2021) and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (1916-2009) at a ceremony held at the Department of Justice on October 23, 1967. Deputy Attorney General Warren Christopher (1925-2011), also complimented those deployed with a letter of appreciation which read in part;
    • We have come to expect a great deal from the Border Patrol – largely, I think, because that is what we always get. The performance of the Patrol at the Pentagon over the past weekend was most certainly no exception.
    • From - HONOR FIRST:  The Story of the United States Border Patrol - Volume II by Joseph Banco
  • President Johnson would return to El Paso on October 28, 1967, to meet with Mexican President Gustavo Diaz-Ordaz to celebrate the completion of the Rio Grande channel. Both Presidents met in the center of the Santa Fe International Bridge (which was renamed the Paso Del Norte Bridge) and shook hands at the relocated obelisk from the 1964 ceremony. Two additional bridges were also renamed: the Cordova Bridge became the Bridge of Americas and the Stanton Street Bridge became the Good Neighbor (Friendship) Bridge. As part of the ceremony, both Presidents pressed a button initiating a charge detonating an earthen dam that allowed the river to flow on its new course. The U.S. Border Patrol again assisted in providing security for the Presidents and the crowds witnessing the event. Patrol Inspector Jessee Tabor, who would later become Chief of New Orleans Sector, had the following to relate regarding the Patrol’s participation;
    • El Paso PI's did security for Lyndon Johnson when he met The President of Mexico at the Border atop the Paso Del Norte bridge. They jointly blew up a temporary dam in the new river channel to complete the "Chamizal Agreement," whereby we returned a sizeable plot of land to Mexico and they returned what is now Chamizal Park to the U.S. It corrected the border back to where it was originally before high water changed the river channel years ago. We had PI's with long guns atop the POE and other tall buildings nearby. I don't recall us being relieved of handguns. I know we were shoulder to shoulder keeping the crowd back a safe distance from the presidents. Mexican officers did the same on their side.
    • From - HONOR FIRST:  The Story of the United States Border Patrol - Volume II by Joseph Banco

Newton-Azrak Award Action Anniversaries

​Follow this link to see examples of USBP employees Upholding Honor First.
  • An organization’s values are codified in its awards system. Recognizing the achievements, service and heroism of employees is important.  It is critical for those in positions of leadership to value the workforce.  Awards are a fundamental manner for leaders to demonstrate appreciation to the workforce for upholding the organizational values. – U.S. Border Patrol Honorary Awards
1988
​

James F. Murphy
Supervisory Immigration Officer
Glynco, Georgia

Supervisory Immigration Officer James F. Murphy was recognized for stopping the assault of a female colleague by a man with a knife in Kingston, Jamaica, in August 1987.

USBP Fallen

As of May 16, 2022, the U.S. Border Patrol has suffered 152* fallen.
Titles:
  • 3 Mounted Watchmen fell before 1924 and are carried as Border Patrol fallen
  • 48 Border Patrol Inspectors fell between 1924 and 1970
  • 100 Border Patrol Agents have fallen since 1970
  • 1 Enforcement Analysis Specialist
The names that appear below hold a place of honor. They have made the ultimate sacrifice in an effort to fulfill the oath each officer took to protect and defend the United States of America.

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.
  • Joe R. White - He is recognized as officially fallen by the U.S. Border Patrol but his name is not inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial.
  • John Charles Gigax - He is not recognized as officially fallen by Customs and Border Protection or the U.S. Border Patrol. He is remembered by all except his own agency with his name is inscribed on the:
    • National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial (see this link),
    • Officer Down memorial Page (see this link), and
    • Texas Peace Officer's Memorial (see this link).
1925
 
Ross A. Gardner
Date of Birth:                    July 9, 1900
Entered on Duty:              January 2, 1925
Title:                                  Patrol Inspector
End of Watch:                   October 28, 1925
Details:
On October 27, 1925, Patrol Inspector Ross A. Gardner was returning from his official station, San Diego, California, to Elsinore, California, where he was temporarily assigned. He was operating a government-owned motorcycle that he had taken to San Diego to be repaired. At Sedoc, California, about three miles east of Elsinore, Inspector Gardner ran into the rear of an automobile that was stalled on the roadway. The stalled vehicle had no lights at the time and, reportedly, headlights on a truck heading in the opposite direction hampered the officer's vision.
 
Patrol Inspector Gardner sustained a fractured skull, fracture of the pelvis, and internal injuries. He was conveyed to Elsinore by a passing motorist but was later transferred to the Naval Hospital in San Diego, California. Death occurred at 4:20 a.m. on October 28, 1925.
​Gravesite
 

1968
 
Ralph L. Anderson
Date of Birth:                 February 16, 1923
Entered on Duty:           May 1, 1950
Title:                              Patrol Inspector
End of Watch:               October 25, 1968
 
Details:
On October 25, 1968, Patrol Inspector Ralph L. Anderson was assigned to the 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. shift on the international boundary near San Ysidro, California. He was working alone, checking the drag trails for signs of illegal crossings.
 
Shortly after 4:00 p.m., Patrol Inspector Charles Thompson found Patrol Inspector Anderson in a Service-owned vehicle in a remote area near the Mexican border east of the San Ysidro Port of Entry. There was a bullet wound in Inspector Anderson's right temple and a 218 “Bee” Savage bolt-action rifle inside the vehicle, with the muzzle pointing upward and leaning toward the decedent.
 
Investigation conducted by the FBI revealed that the rifle was carried loosely inside the vehicle with the muzzle upward. A mark on a gearshift lever knob indicated that the trigger of the weapon had fallen against the knob. The impact discharged the rifle, and the projectile struck Inspector Anderson in the right temporal region. There was no indication of any other person or persons having been in the area. San Diego County Deputy Coroner Murphy concluded the mode of death to be accidental.
 
​Gravesite
 

1998
 
Walter S. Panchison
Date of Birth:                January 15, 1945
Entered on Duty:          March 6, 1978
Title:                              Airplane Pilot
End of Watch:               October 23, 1998
 
Details:
On Friday October 23, 1998, at 2:00 p.m., Agent Scott Panchison was flying a U.S. Border Patrol plane in response to motion sensors tripped along the United States - Canadian Border near Lynden, Washington. Agent Panchison was working with other agents in the area and was heading back to Bellingham International Airport when his plane crashed into rugged terrain in the Smith Peak area just north of Mount Baker Highway on the west side of Sumas Mountain. Agent Panchison lost his life in the crash.
 
Agent Panchison was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and a master’s degree from Pepperdine University. After graduation, Agent Panchison joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he spent ten years flying F4 Phantoms, including flights from aircraft carriers in the Vietnam War. He left the Corps to join the U.S. Border Patrol, where he proudly served for 21 years. At the time of his death, he was stationed at the Blaine Sector. He was a graduate of the 119th session of the U.S. Border Patrol Academy in Glynco, Georgia.
 
Gravesite
 

2002
 
Catherine M. Hill
Date of Birth:                March 19, 1965
Entered on Duty:          November 1, 1999
Title:                              Senior Patrol Agent
End of Watch:                October 25, 2002
 
Details:
Senior Patrol Agent Catherine M. Hill, 37, was performing patrol duties in the Tijuana River Valley (Smuggler’s Canyon area) early in the morning on Friday, October 25, 2002, when her vehicle rolled down the edge of a 40-foot cliff. She died at the scene.
 
Agent Hill was a graduate of the 419th session of the U.S. Border Patrol Academy and was assigned to the Imperial Beach Station at the time of her death. Known for her outgoing and community-oriented personality, she was an advisor for Border Patrol Explorer post #1924 and a member of the San Diego Sector’s Peer Support Team.
 
​Gravesite
 

2021
 
Rafael G. Sanchez
Entered on Duty:           September 16, 2002
Title:                              Supervisory Border Patrol Agent
End of Watch:               October 24, 2021
Details:
Agent Sanchez entered on duty on September 16, 2002, as part of the 527th Session of the Border Patrol Academy. At the time of his passing, he was assigned to the Hebbronville Station, Laredo Sector, Texas. 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 Anabel; children: Arielle, Maritza, and Rafael; and mother: Corina; sister Nora; and grandchildren: Joshua, Jordyn, and Gianna.
 
Cremated
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    Clifford Gill

    Blog author, retired U.S. Border Patrol Assistant Chief and, current U.S. Border Patrol employee advocate.

    ​Read more about Cliff here.


    Ray Harris

    Site founder and owner, former Senior Patrol Agent and retired Immigration Special Agent.

    ​Read more about Ray here.


    Joseph Banco

    U.S. Border Patrol historian and retired Deputy Chief Patrol Agent.

    ​Read more about Joe here.


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