Punitive Expedition Era Recruiting Poster

[Pat Holscher]

Interesting PE era recruiting poster. Funny, at this time, 1917, the US was still building an Army to send overseas so this sales pitch is a bit odd.



Pat

[Philip S]

Are you sure about the date? I suspect that this is post WWI and refering to the occupation of Germany along the Rhine. At least some American troops were stationed in Coblentz (sic?).

[Pat Holscher]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Philip S</i>
<br />Are you sure about the date? I suspect that this is post WWI and refering to the occupation of Germany along the Rhine. At least some American troops were stationed in Coblentz (sic?).
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

The data with it states it is a 1917 poster, but I'll bet you are correct. 1919 would make more sense.

Pat

[Pat Holscher]

Worth another look.

Pat

[Jim Bewley]

Slightly off topic, but right now Customs and Border Protection is pulling out all the stops to recruit new border patrol officers for the very same "Watch on the Rio Grande" mentioned in the poster.

Jim

[Pat Holscher]

The fact that they were still recruiting in the immediate post war makes me wonder when the Army began to be reduced in size, or at least how rapidly it was reduced to its prewar levels.

Also, I know that state troops from Texas patrolled the border in 1916, along with a lot of other State troops. I have it in mind that Texas state troops continued on it to WWI, but I don't know that for certain. Does anyone else? I wonder when they were deactivated, if I'm correct.

Pat

[Camp Little]

It was my impression that for the most part, the National Guard Troops left the border by late 1916 or early 1917 and the Border Patrol function was taken back over by regular Cavalry and Infantry into and through WWI.

Case in point is here at Camp Little in Nogales, AZ. Most of the Nat'l guard units from California, Idaho, Utah and Connecticut left by October 1916. However the 1st, 2nd and 4th Alabama NG Infantry Regiments arrived late October and stayed until Mid-March, 1917.

From there, the Border Patrol was handled for the most part by the 10th Cavalry out of Ft. Huachuca and the 12th and 35th Infantry Regiments stationed in Nogales. The 12th left Nogales on May 10, 1917, leaving The 35th and it's 3600 soldiers to man Camp Little. The 35th had 100 NCO's and PFC's leave on Sept 1, 1917, reporting to training camps around the US to serve as instructors.

A Battalion of the 24th Infantry arrived on September 10, 1917, staying for a month before leaving for Naco, AZ.

The 35th stayed in Nogales until August, 1918. During this time, elements were stationed at Lowell and Yuma. The destination of the 35th from there was France. Most troops had already departed when a minor skirmish on the border erupted known as the "Second Battle of Nogales".

At any rate, there was a lot of coming and going, but the NG pretty well was out of the picture (at least in AZ) by the time of Wilson's Declaration of War against Germany.

Steve

Source: A Military Camp in Nogales, AZ 1916-1918 by Ronald Gardiner

[PantherCanyon]

It appears it was the same in Texas, National Guard got called up, and
U.S. Troops took over.

border patrol was needed as late as 1919 or 1920, mainly "bandits"
crossing the border and returning to Mexico. Monitored primarily by
U.S. Cavalry and Texas Rangers.

Most border outpost were, for the most part, abandoned by 1923
(Camp Mitchie in 1922)

I believe the U.S. Border Patrol started about 1924.

PantherCanyon

[Pat Holscher]

I wonder to what extent Regular Army cavalry units were cadred out to form new units? That's a part of war time build ups that are often missed. Some National Guard cavalry units from WWII, for example, were nearly entirely cadred out.

I've read accounts from time to time of career Regular Army cavalrymen fighting in infantry units in WWI, but they rarely say how they ended up there. I suspect, but I don't know, that some NCOs became officers, and some privates and corporals became sergeants, in this process.

That would leave, if that is correct, some of the Regular Army cavalry units with new troops during the war.

Pat

[Todd]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Pat Holscher</i>
<br />Interesting PE era recruiting poster. Funny, at this time, 1917, the US was still building an Army to send overseas so this sales pitch is a bit odd.



Pat
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">With a slight update, it could be useful today. [B)]

Todd

[Pat Holscher]

bump.

Pat

[Pat Holscher]

Bumped up in light of the centenary of the commencement of the Punitive Expedition on March 9.