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02-12-2007, 08:14 AM
City Remembers Pancho Villa Night Attack
20th Century's 9-11 Event Memorialized
Columbus, New Mexico - It was the middle of the night on March 9, 1916, in the sleepy southern New Mexico community of Columbus when the unthinkable occurred. As the village slept peacefully, self-proclaimed Mexican General Pancho Villa and his band of 600 irregular volunteers began their infamous raid across the border to attack and burn the innocent town of Columbus. By the time the battle ended that day, much of the village of Columbus was a smouldering ruin, plus 18 American citizens and hundreds of Villa's soldiers had perished.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/villa_columbus.jpg border=1>
The Village of Columbus shortly after the Villa Raid
At the time, the notorious Villa was upset with U.S. President Woodrow Wilson for having backed another Mexican strongman for the presidency of the fledgling Mexican republic. So he took out his anger on the sleeping citizens of Columbus. What followed that attack was an 11 month, 11,000 soldier U.S. military campaign into northern Mexico that was not unlike our own century's more recent war in Afghanistan. The U.S. campaign eventually stretched hundreds of miles south into Mexico in a vain attempt to capture Villa and bring him to justice.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/villa08.jpg align=left hspace=5 border=1><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/villa.gif align=right hspace=5 border=1>Although the American effort to capture Villa failed, that campaign forever changed the history of warfare. It marked the first-ever use of motorized vehicles by the U.S. Army, the first use of airplanes by any military force in human history and the last use of mounted calvary by America in a wartime campaign. In short, Villa's attack and the U.S. campaign afterwards indelibly marked the history of warfare and mentally and emotionally prepared America and its military for entry into World War One barely a year later.
Mexicans eventually came to revere Villa (who was later assasinated) as a national hero. But from the U.S. perspective at the time he was reviled as the 20th century's Osama Bin Laden -- a foreign bad-guy who had dared to attack U.S. citizens on American soil. The psyche of the American public would never be the same. Although Villa was never captured, his name was forever etched into the history books of two nations -- a hero to one and a villain to the other.
Ever since that now-famous attack on Columbus, the town and its citizens have remembered March 9, annually and celebrated it as Columbus Memorial Day in honor of those who died in the attack and the lessons learned by all concerned.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/villa05a.jpg border=1>
Villa and a group of his soldiers
In keeping with that long tradition, on March 9, 2007, Major General Peter Dodd Robinson, USAF Ret. will be the keynote speaker at the annual Columbus Memorial Day Service. This service and related ceremonies have been observed every year since the village of Columbus was raided by Villa’s “army” 90 years ago. It will be conducted this year by members of the Columbus Historical Society.
http://sonewmex.com/images/columbus_memorial_day.gif
Major General Peter Dodd Robinson
Major General Robinson is the great-grandson of General George A. Dodd who commanded the Second to enter Mexico as a part of Genral “Blackjack Pershing’s Punitive Expedition following the raid. At the time of Robinson’s retirement, he was Commandant of the Air War College and Vice Commander of the Air University at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. He has served around the world (including New Mexico) acquiring some 3400 flying hours and has flown 435 combat missions in F-100s, F-4s and F-15 Eagles.
General Robinson will discuss the Role of the First Aero Squadron and the beginnings of combat aviation. Others talking part in the commemortion will be the Flying Cloud Productions from Las Cruces.
The yearly observance honors those who died on March 9th, 1916, and all those who have fallen in the service of our country. The service will start at 10 a.m at the newly constructed replica of Pershing’s reviewing stand on the grounds of the Columbus Historical Museum. The Museum is located at the intersection of NM Rt 9 and 11. Coffee and donuts will be available. Admission is free.
For more information about the event, contact Richard Dean at 505-531-2414.
[Credits: Several of the photos used in this article came from the New Mexico Historical Archives. The photo of General Dodd was provided by Mugs and Mirs Satran - members of the Columbus Historical Society - who also contributed the original release about this event. Thanks!]
20th Century's 9-11 Event Memorialized
Columbus, New Mexico - It was the middle of the night on March 9, 1916, in the sleepy southern New Mexico community of Columbus when the unthinkable occurred. As the village slept peacefully, self-proclaimed Mexican General Pancho Villa and his band of 600 irregular volunteers began their infamous raid across the border to attack and burn the innocent town of Columbus. By the time the battle ended that day, much of the village of Columbus was a smouldering ruin, plus 18 American citizens and hundreds of Villa's soldiers had perished.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/villa_columbus.jpg border=1>
The Village of Columbus shortly after the Villa Raid
At the time, the notorious Villa was upset with U.S. President Woodrow Wilson for having backed another Mexican strongman for the presidency of the fledgling Mexican republic. So he took out his anger on the sleeping citizens of Columbus. What followed that attack was an 11 month, 11,000 soldier U.S. military campaign into northern Mexico that was not unlike our own century's more recent war in Afghanistan. The U.S. campaign eventually stretched hundreds of miles south into Mexico in a vain attempt to capture Villa and bring him to justice.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/villa08.jpg align=left hspace=5 border=1><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/villa.gif align=right hspace=5 border=1>Although the American effort to capture Villa failed, that campaign forever changed the history of warfare. It marked the first-ever use of motorized vehicles by the U.S. Army, the first use of airplanes by any military force in human history and the last use of mounted calvary by America in a wartime campaign. In short, Villa's attack and the U.S. campaign afterwards indelibly marked the history of warfare and mentally and emotionally prepared America and its military for entry into World War One barely a year later.
Mexicans eventually came to revere Villa (who was later assasinated) as a national hero. But from the U.S. perspective at the time he was reviled as the 20th century's Osama Bin Laden -- a foreign bad-guy who had dared to attack U.S. citizens on American soil. The psyche of the American public would never be the same. Although Villa was never captured, his name was forever etched into the history books of two nations -- a hero to one and a villain to the other.
Ever since that now-famous attack on Columbus, the town and its citizens have remembered March 9, annually and celebrated it as Columbus Memorial Day in honor of those who died in the attack and the lessons learned by all concerned.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/villa05a.jpg border=1>
Villa and a group of his soldiers
In keeping with that long tradition, on March 9, 2007, Major General Peter Dodd Robinson, USAF Ret. will be the keynote speaker at the annual Columbus Memorial Day Service. This service and related ceremonies have been observed every year since the village of Columbus was raided by Villa’s “army” 90 years ago. It will be conducted this year by members of the Columbus Historical Society.
http://sonewmex.com/images/columbus_memorial_day.gif
Major General Peter Dodd Robinson
Major General Robinson is the great-grandson of General George A. Dodd who commanded the Second to enter Mexico as a part of Genral “Blackjack Pershing’s Punitive Expedition following the raid. At the time of Robinson’s retirement, he was Commandant of the Air War College and Vice Commander of the Air University at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. He has served around the world (including New Mexico) acquiring some 3400 flying hours and has flown 435 combat missions in F-100s, F-4s and F-15 Eagles.
General Robinson will discuss the Role of the First Aero Squadron and the beginnings of combat aviation. Others talking part in the commemortion will be the Flying Cloud Productions from Las Cruces.
The yearly observance honors those who died on March 9th, 1916, and all those who have fallen in the service of our country. The service will start at 10 a.m at the newly constructed replica of Pershing’s reviewing stand on the grounds of the Columbus Historical Museum. The Museum is located at the intersection of NM Rt 9 and 11. Coffee and donuts will be available. Admission is free.
For more information about the event, contact Richard Dean at 505-531-2414.
[Credits: Several of the photos used in this article came from the New Mexico Historical Archives. The photo of General Dodd was provided by Mugs and Mirs Satran - members of the Columbus Historical Society - who also contributed the original release about this event. Thanks!]