The Utah National Guard on the Mexican Border in 1916 BY R I C H A R D C. R O B E R T S
As
reports from Verdun and Ypres and pondered their possible role in the European conflict, civil unrest in Mexico and guerrilla raids into United States territory in 1916 added another dimension to the war talk. T h e Mexican situation led President Woodrow Wilson to mobilize the National Guard to defend the border. This call-up of the Guard, including some eight hundred U t a h men, did not lead to war with Mexico but served as a sort of dress rehearsal—exposing American military strengths and weaknesses—prior to the United States' entrance into World W a r I in 1917. A detailed look at the U t a h A M E R I C A N S FOLLOWED T H E WAR
Dr. Roberts is professor of history at Weber State College. This article is based largely on his "History of the L r tah National G u a r d : 1894-1954" (Ph.D. diss.. University of Utah, 1973), chap. 5.
