They were Mexican Border War Volunteers of 1916 from Springville. These photos were taken before they went to serve. Claude Smith is 2nd from left on front row and his brother Raymond James Smith (Myrna's grandfather) is 4th from left. The Border War, or the Border Campaign, refers to the military engagements which took place in the Mexican-American border region of North America during the Mexican Revolution. From the beginning of the Mexican Revolution in 1910, the United States Army was stationed in force along the border and on several occasions fought with Mexican rebels or federals. The height of the conflict came in 1916 when revolutionary Pancho Villa attacked the American border town of Columbus, New Mexico. The American army returned to the United States in January 1917. Conflict at the border continued and the United States launched several more smaller operations into Mexican territory until 1919.
