Hundreds of Utah families observed Thanksgiving 1916 with an empty chair at the table. Their sons and husbands in the National Guard were in Arizona, guarding the border against raiders attempting to draw the United States into deeper involvement in the Mexican Revolution.

The 140 men and officers of Battery A, Utah Field Artillery, had been in Arizona since late June, reporting to Nogales only nine days after President Woodrow Wilson had called for troops. Battery A claimed to be the first National Guard unit to arrive at the border, although Illinois disputed their claim. Utah’s men were fully uniformed, equipped, examined and mustered, in contrast with other early arrivals who had rushed to the border unprepared for service. Continue reading National Guard, 1916 (Utah history) →