The Mexican Border Campaign

With all the current news about illegal aliens and border crossings, it might be appropriate to remember that the United States fought a border war with Mexico in 1916 and 1917, just before the U.S. entered the First World War. This campaign is variously called the Mexican Expedition, the Punitive Expedition or even The Pancho Villa Expedition. The picture above is my grandfather, LeRoy Parkinson Tanner, at a camp near Douglas, Arizona during the campaign. The expedition was in retaliation for Villa's illegal incursion into the United States and attack on the village of Columbus, Luna County, New Mexico, during the Mexican Revolution. The United States Army Center of Military Historyofficially refers to the campaign as "the Mexican Expedition". The official beginning and ending dates are March 14, 1916 and February 7, 1917. Wikipedia.