Mexico Invades the United States

On this date in 1916 Pancho Villa and his fellow revolutionaries attacked the United States at Columbus, New Mexico. This is about 80 miles (130 km) West of where I now live in El Paso, Texas. That is now just slightly less than 100 years ago.

I lived for many years in Germany and later in The Netherlands. Both have been invaded by foreigners countless times over the years, but in America having foreign troops invade is almost unheard of.

Growing up as a child, my maternal grandmother lived in a little apartment she had built which was attached to our house. She had owned a large apartment house near the center of town, but after my grandfather passed away she got a little lonely so she sold her apartment house and moved in with us. It was great as a child having two parents, a brother and a sister, dogs, cats, birds, and my grandmother all living together as an extended family. She played a major role in raising me.
-
She was there when Columbus, New Mexico was invaded. I remember her accounts of it well. My grandmother held a prized job as a telegrapher for the railroad. Her husband, my maternal grandfather, also worked as a telegrapher for the railroads. This was a fairly high responsibility and high status job, and it was not very common for a woman to be employed as a telegrapher.

In March 1916 my grandmother had a new, small baby in arms. My aunt. When the “drunken Mexicans” invaded (her words, not mine) she and several of the other ladies ran out into the desert to avoid being killed or raped. I can imagine her terror that the baby would start crying and give away their location. Fortunately it all worked out well, both she and my aunt survived, and I grew up being enchanted by her stories of Pancho Villa attacking Columbus, New Mexico.


LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancho_Villa

.
.
.
.
.
.