Memoirs of a Border Ranger

My name is John west and I am an American border guard. I have proudly served my country on the American-Mexican border front since 1905. For the better part of the last decade, the border has been fairly tranquil save for the random illegal migrant and drug trafficking cases.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Memoirs of a Border Ranger specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the past few years have been marked by a rise in tension owing to the threat posed by the Mexican revolution nearby. There is also heightened suspicion that Germany could instigate an uprising by inciting Mexican revolutionaries and disgruntled Americans to annex the southwestern region (Holtby 1). One of the significant aspects of this northern region of our country is that the American border towns have a significantly greater population of Mexicans and Americans of Mexican origin that the Anglo-American population. Being an Anglo-American , our minority status has never been an issue as we have coexisted peacefully with our Mexican and African brothers. However, there are rumors going around town that there is an uprising underway. It is widely assumed that this revolution will be against the white population of the region. Today is the 24th of January 1915 and the arrest of a suspected career revolutionary leader, Mr. McAllen has confirmed our worse fears (Harris Sadler 276). On searching Mr. Allen’s premises, a document going by the name of â€Å"Plan de San Diego† has been revealed. It turns out that this is no ordinary document but rather is a manifesto calling for an uprising against the United States government on the 20th of February this year! Some of the most violent aspects of the plot are the proposed killing of North Americans over the age of sixteen so as to free the Black and Hispanic population from the â€Å"Yankee tyranny†. Following this developments, our commander called us fo r an urgent meeting during which he warned us to be particularly vigilant. He proceeded to give us carte-blanche to deal with the local population. Sadly, I must confess that this has led to some of my colleagues killing Mexicans indiscriminately along the border (Armando, 121). The lack of will by our judicial system to convict rangers for killing Mexicans has led to the prevalence of these atrocities against the Mexican population. As such, the planned revolution has not gone as planned owing to the confiscation of manifesto by state officials and our subsequent preparation for any eventualities. The material day of the revolution therefore came and went by without any major disturbance.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, our troubles are far from over for despite the thwarting of the El Plan San Diego. I have gathered from our intelligence officers that a junta has been formed this July. It is speculated that this group is responsible for the arming and directing of gangs of 25 to 100 members along the border (Armando 120). While this gangs possess limited military equipment and training, their guerrilla styled warfare over the region is proving to be a major headache for us. These gangs have been accused of burning railroad trestles, stopping passenger trains and raiding ranches over the region. As if this were not bad enough for our state stability, there is growing support for this guerilla gangs. Riots have begun to sprout even in the urban areas of the state. During these riots, some of the demonstrators have been heard shouting â€Å"kill the Anglos† showing that the Plan of San Diego sentiments still run strong among the population (Harris Sadler 276). To curb this escalating security problem, the Federal government has been forced to deploy a number of detachments. The military response to this insurgence has been fierce and costly to the Mexican population. Just yesterday, I visited the town center and was shocked to see military personnel beating suspected insurgents almost to their death. There are also gallows and shooting rangers from which as many as three hundred suspected Mexican guerillas have been summarily executed (Armando 120). This reign of terror has turned this tranquil integrated society into a hate filled intolerant valley. The relationship between the Anglo-American and Mexican-American population has declined drastically and suspicion and fear run deep. We are in the year 1919 and the border war which has raged on for the past four years has all but died out. I am still a border ranger, proudly serving my Country. It is estimated that in the cause of the insurrections that followed the El Plan de San Diego, 21 white American’s were killed. On the other hand, it is estimated that about 5000 insurgents of mostly Mexican and Mexican-American origin were killed. While I do concede that a milita ry solution was necessary to curb the rise of the border war, I feel that the cost in human life was too high. It will take many years for the various races in this northern region to have amicable relations with each other due to the suffering that these skirmishes have caused. It is my hope that these events will never be forgotten and that future generations will learn from them. Works Cited Harris, H and Sadler, l. â€Å"The Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution: The Bloodiest Decade, 1910-1920.† UNM Press, 2007. PrintAdvertising We will write a custom essay sample on Memoirs of a Border Ranger specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Holtby, D. â€Å"World War I and the Federal Presence in New Mexico.† 20 June 2008 Web. https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/crs_nm_statehood/1/ Navarro, A. â€Å"Mexicano political experience in occupied Aztlà ¡n: struggles and change.† Rowman Altamira, 2005. Print. This essay on Memoirs of a Border Ranger was written and submitted by user Lillianna Suarez to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.