This Week in USBP History, Vol. 138

April 21 - April 27

Good morning!

Welcome to another This Week in USBP History! ​​​​​

This week we solemnly honor the bravery and ultimate sacrifices of our fallen, reflecting on the anniversaries of their end of watch. We remember Patrol Inspector Thad Pippin and Patrol Agent Jose P. Gamez, Jr., whose lives were tragically lost on April 21st, in 1927 and 1978, respectively. We also pay tribute to Patrol Inspector William W. McKee, who was killed in action on April 23, 1926, and especially to Patrol Inspector Garvis Field Harrell, whose end of watch came on April 24, 1944. While Harrell’s sacrifice is not officially recognized by Customs and Border Protection or the U.S. Border Patrol, we honor him on our U.S. Border Patrol Fallen page and continue to advocate for policy changes that would officially recognize his and other unrecognized officers' sacrifices on our Unrecognized but Unforgotten page.

This week also marks significant historical actions and milestones that have shaped the operational and cultural fabric of the U.S. Border Patrol. From the harrowing pursuits and gunfights of the early 20th century to the valiant rescue efforts by Agents in 1992 and 2020, earning them the prestigious Newton-Azrak Award for heroic action, these moments underscore the unyielding spirit and dedication of our agents.

Additionally, we explore pivotal administrative milestones, such as the discussions and directives that led to significant uniform changes over the decades, enhancing both the functionality and identity of our force. These developments showcase the evolution of the Border Patrol through careful consideration of both operational needs and external perceptions.

​Join us as we explore these poignant narratives, honoring those who have fallen and celebrating the enduring legacy and integrity of the U.S. Border Patrol. These stories not only honor the past but also inspire our current and future agents with a legacy of valor, dedication, and commitment.

Enjoy and have a great week!

Cliff
P.S. - 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 [email protected]). As always, make sure to explore all of the hyperlinks to the documents and pages. Finally, please forward this blog to whomever you think may enjoy it.

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THIS WEEK'S USBP ANNIVERSARIES AND MILESTONES

April 21

• Line of Duty Death anniversary
  • Thad  Pippin
    Date of Birth:                       October 16, 1889
    Entered on Duty:                  May 17, 1926
    Title:                                     Patrol Inspector
    End of Watch:                      April 21, 1927
    
    Details:
    Patrol Inspector Thad Pippin, El Paso, Texas, met his death in the mountains near Pelea, New Mexico, on the night of April 21, 1927, during the course of a gunfight in which he and a brother officer were engaged with smugglers.  Patrol Inspector Crossett, who was with him, was wounded four times. 
    
    ​On information that contraband was being smuggled into the United States, a number of Patrol Inspectors, including Inspector Pippin, went to Pelea, New Mexico. Just before dark, they discovered a pack train approaching along a trail at some distance.  The officers divided into two teams and guarded their respective trails until after dark, when they heard rapid shooting.  Officers arrived and found Officer Crossett shot four times and in urgent need of medical attention.  Officer Pippin was located and had fallen down an embankment after having been shot and killed. Nineteen gallons of liquor and two burros were seized at the time but none of the smuggling party was apprehended.
    
    Gravesite
• Line of Duty Death anniversary
  • ​Jose P. Gamez, Jr.
    Date of Birth:                     January 3, 1947
    Entered on Duty:                October 4, 1976
    Title:                                   Patrol Agent
    End of Watch:                    April 21, 1978
     
    Details:
    Patrol Agent Jose P. Gamez, Jr. was working 4:00 p.m. to 12 midnight in the area of an isolated check gate on the Maverick County Irrigation Canal in the Quemado Valley, 25 miles north of Eagle Pass, Texas.
     
    Patrol Agent Frank J. Lugo, with whom Gamez was working, reported him missing late on April 21, 1978. According to Agent Lugo, he had become separated from Gamez while they were attempting to apprehend four or five undocumented aliens.
     
    Agent Gamez's body was recovered from the canal the next morning and it was presumed he had fallen into the canal and drowned. A few days later, the Bexar County Medical Examiner's report revealed Agent Gamez had been choked, probably with a board, and dragged to the canal by an unknown assailant or assailants. He was dead when he was thrown into the water.
    
    ​Gravesite

 
April 22

• On April 22, 2000, the Immigration and Naturalization Service carried out Operation Reunion, an enforcement action by the INS/Border Patrol designed to securely retrieve Elian Gonzalez and reunify him with his father.

 
April 23

• Line of Duty Death anniversary
  • William W. McKee
    Date of Birth:                      July 3, 1886
    Entered on Duty:                 February 27, 1926
    Title:                                    Patrol Inspector
    End of Watch:                     April 23, 1926
    
    Details:
    On April 23, 1926, information was received that a liquor pack train had left Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, for the United States and on that date would be at or near the Alhambre Ranch about 40 miles southwest of Tucson, Arizona. Near the ranch, officers of the Border Patrol saw such a pack train, and in an attempt to capture it, Patrol Inspector McKee was shot and killed at the wheel of a patrol car. The smugglers fired from ambush while being pursued by Inspector McKee. The smuggler responsible for killing Inspector McKee was later convicted of first-degree murder.
     
    Survivor benefits - As per this document, his wife received $49 per month.
    
    Gravesite
• Newton-Azrak Award action anniversary
  • Johnny Magdaleno
    Border Patrol Agent
    Yuma Sector
    Brendan Manley
    Border Patrol Agent
    Yuma Sector
    Armando Ornelas
    Border Patrol Agent
    Yuma Sector
    Robert Pittenridge
    Border Patrol Agent
    Yuma Sector
    On April 23, 1992, Border Patrol Agents Magdaleno, Ornelas, Pittenridge, and Manley rescued four youths who were trapped in a vehicle that had crashed and become engulfed in flames.
     
    Agents Magdaleno and Ornelas commenced pursuit of a vehicle that ran the traffic checkpoint.  The pursuit came to an abrupt end when the driver attempted to exit at an off-ramp, crashed through the guardrail, became airborne off the embankments, and crashed to the desert floor.  Upon arrival at the scene, the two Agents observed the engine on fire and the youths in a heap in the back seat, injured and trapped, crying for help.  They called for an ambulance, ran to the vehicle, and began attempting to extricate them.   The impact of the crash had jammed the doors shut and they were locked into position.  The fire was rapidly spreading to the interior of the vehicle.  Agent Ornelas physically tore the left front door from the vehicle, thereby exposing the passenger compartment.  Two persons were quickly removed and carried a short distance to safety.
     
    When Agent Pittenridge arrived on the scene, he immediately ran to the vehicle to assist in the extrication of the remaining occupants, ignoring the flames that had now engulfed the entire front end of the vehicle.
     
    Agent Manley now arrived at the scene, assessed the situation, radioed for an ambulance and fire truck, grabbed his fire extinguisher, and ran to the vehicle.  One more passenger had been removed to safety.  Two agents were in the vehicle attempting to remove the fourth passenger and the other agent was reaching into the vehicle trying to undo the tangled seat belts.  At this point, the flames were extremely close to the remaining occupant and the three agents.  Agent Manley attempted to extinguish the fire and was successful in temporarily beating back the flames as the agents feverishly worked at removing the fourth victim.
     
    After the successful extrication of the victims, the agents removed the victims from the close proximity of the now totally engulfed vehicle and administered first aid until rescue personnel arrived.  Without the actions of all four agents, the successful rescue of the youths would not have been accomplished.
    
    

April 24

• On April 24, 1930, El Paso District Director  Grover Wilmoth (1884-1951) wrote an 11-page memo in response to the Commissioner-General's request to provide his opinion concerning H.R. 11204 Border Patrol Act, 1930. 
  • H.R. 11204 would have expanded the U.S. Coast Guard by creating a border patrol within it, including enlisted personnel, warrant officers and 60 commissioned officers to lead it.  Once created, the President was authorized to discontinue the Customs Border Patrol and the Immigration Border Patrol.  Therefore, this proposed USCG border patrol was not going to absorb the other patrols but was to take their place.
  • Wilmoth never writes that he was against H.R. 11204.  However, it is clear that he did not support it.
  • Wilmoth provided a detailed description of the the sub-districts that comprised the El Paso District, which correspond to modern-day Tucson, El Paso and Big Bend Sectors.
  • Additionally, on page 7, Wilmoth indicates that some form official training was being conducted in the El Paso District in 1930 by stating:
    • Classes of instruction are held for the discussion of various questions arising under the several subjects enumerated...​
• Line of Duty Death anniversary
  • Garvis Field Harrell - Unrecognized but Unforgotten
    Date of Birth:                         September 1, 1907
    Entered on Duty:                    March 1944
    Title:                                        Patrol Inspector
    End of Watch:                        April 24, 1944
    
    Details:
    On April 24, 1944, Border Patrol Inspector Garvis Field Harrell of the Harlingen Border Patrol Station, McAllen Texas Sector, was on a foot pursuit of an illegal alien in the heavy brush outside the town of Rangerville near the Rio Grande River, when he collapsed and suffered a heart attack.   His fellow Patrol Inspectors found him shortly afterwards and he was rushed to the Valley Baptist Hospital where he died a few hours later.  The subject Harrell was pursuing was apprehended and taken to the Harlingen City Jail.  Patrol Inspector Garvis Field Harrell was 36 years old and had only been with the U.S. Border Patrol for a month.  Patrol Inspector Harrell was a veteran of World War II having seen combat with the U.S. Marines.
    
    Gravesite
    • While there was no official LODD criteria at the time, Patrol Inspector Garvis Field Harrell's death, akin to others later recognized, has not been officially acknowledged as a Line of Duty Death by Customs and Border Protection or the U.S. Border Patrol.
• On April 24, 1952, Chief of the Border Patrol Harlon Carter (1913-1991) wrote a memo defining the uniform for the Border Patrol Pistol Team. Two other interesting items in the memo:
  • The "4930 Deal Drive" appears to be a location in Oxen Hill, MD, not in Washington DC.  
  • The bottom of the memo has 9 names which appear to identify the members of the team.

April 25

• On April 25, 1928, Assistant Superintendent L. Antonio Bonazzi (1890-1950) wrote a report to the Commissioner of Immigration for Montreal District (Patrol District #1) concerning sub-district #1.  Sub-district #1, modern day Houlton Sector, contained stations in Calais, Vanceboro, and Houlton. The report also proposed a substation at Van Buren, Maine. This document from December 12, 1929 shows that the Montreal District was comprised of the following sub-districts; Houlton, Rouses Point, Newport, and Messena. 
  • The position of Assistant Superintendent was created by GO61​ in 1926 and was the highest uniformed rank in the USBP.  There was one Assistant Superintendent assigned per district.  They were the immediate supervisors of Chief Patrol Inspectors.
  • The nomenclature of the time may be confusing.  The Border Patrol was created in 1924 under the Department of Labor, becoming part of the Bureau of Immigration.  Under the Bureau was the Immigration Service which was decentralized and divided the United States into 35 immigration districts.  Many districts were divided into sub-districts.  In 1924, eleven districts and their 32 sub-districts were located along the international boundaries and received new Border Patrol employees.  A district located along the border was also known as a "Patrol District". Throughout the decades, the sub-districts would evolve to become the modern-day Sectors.  Therefore, the USBP began not with two but with 32 "Sectors."​ 
• On April 25, 1932, the Commissioner-General issued a memo concerning the position of Assistant Superintendents.  This memo was most likely related to the short-lived two border district initiative.
  • ​In 1932 GO61 was superseded with two other General Orders which created the two Border Districts and the title of the position of Supervisor of the Border Patrol was changed to Director, Border Patrol:
    • General Order 183 - which created the Director of the Border Patrol for the Mexican Border, Gulf and Florida immigration districts.  The district was headquartered in El Paso and George Harris came back to be the "Chief" for a nonconsecutive term.
    • General Order 184 - which created the Director of the Canadian Border District.  The district was headquartered in Detroit and  future Chief and Father of the Border Patrol Frank Berkshire (1870-1934), became the third person to be "Chief" of the Border Patrol.
    • The two border district approach was very short-lived, beginning in 1932 and ending in 1933 when GO183 and GO184 were superseded with General Order 203 which reinstated GO61 effective June 1, 1933. 
• Newton-Azrak Award action anniversary
  • Douglas G. Roy
    Border Patrol Agent
    El Centro Sector
    Border Patrol Agent Douglas G. Roy was recognized for his courageous actions in saving the lives of persons involved in a fiery collision of a tractor-trailer and a parked Border Patrol vehicle.  On April 25, 1983, he personally extricated the driver of the overturned tractor-trailer and moved him to safety.  He also extinguished the flames that engulfed a passenger in the Border Patrol vehicle, at risk to his own safety.

 
April 26

• On April 26, 1927, Acting Commissioner-General George Harris (1876-1941) wrote a memo​ concerning a change to the uniform of Border Patrol Inspectors and Immigrant Inspectors.
  • The USBP's original uniform policy, General Order 42 (December 11, 1924), specified sleeves, "To be fitted with blue cloth cuff, pointed in center, 4" on each side and 6" on point", similar to Harris' memo.  However, Harris' memo added blue shoulder straps.
  • It should be noted that George Harris was one of two people appointed to be Supervisor, Border Patrol (Chief of the Border Patrol), in 1926 when General Order 61 (GO61) was implemented.  Harris worked in the City of El Paso.  Ruel Davenport was the other Chief of the Border Patrol and worked in the City of Detroit.
• On April 26, 1934, a memo was written to the Commissioner-General recommending a change in the USBP uniform, discontinuing riding breeches for pants.
  • For the Border Patrol's first decade, riding breaches were the pants of the uniform.  That started to change in 1934 when regular pants received authorization.  See this 1934 document written by the Chief Patrol Inspector of the Tucson Sub-district.  It also includes the earliest photo of which I am aware of a "rough duty" uniform. By the August of 1934, Inspectors on the southwest border would be authorized to wear pants instead of riding breaches (at their own cost).
• On April 26, 1999, the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry finalized the spec sheets for the design of the U.S. Border Patrol Honor Guard Device.
• Newton-Azrak Award action anniversary
  • Kent L. Carroll
    Border Patrol Agent
    San Diego, CA
    Francisco F. Gonzales
    Border Patrol Agent
    San Diego, CA
    In the early morning hours of April 26, 2020, Border Patrol Agents Kent Carroll and Francisco Gonzales were carpooling on Interstate 15 with two other agents when they witnessed a major vehicle accident involving two cars. One of the cars had struck a guardrail and erupted into flames. Without hesitation, the agents sprung into action, demonstrating remarkable bravery and quick thinking.
     
    Agents Carroll and Gonzales, along with a third agent, jumped over the center divider and ran across the interstate. Agent Carroll, who is trained as an emergency medical technician, immediately went to check on the driver of the first car to evaluate his injuries. Meanwhile, Agent Gonzales instructed another agent to call 911 and then focused on the second vehicle, which was completely engulfed in flames.
     
    Despite the grave danger, Agent Gonzales approached the flaming vehicle and managed to open the door, which allowed a burst of heat to escape and enabled one of the victims to make their way out of the inferno. At the same time, Agent Carroll approached as the victim began to collapse; together with the third agent, they caught him and assisted him to safety.
     
    The actions of Agents Carroll and Gonzales that morning went beyond the call of duty. They not only ensured the safety of the victims but also brought great credit upon themselves and the United States Border Patrol. Their heroic efforts underscore their commitment to service and their willingness to face danger to save others.

April 27

• Today marks a quiet day in USBP history.