Border Patrol unveils fallen agents memorial
In a somber ceremony, the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol unveiled its El Paso Sector Fallen Agent Memorial in honor of the 27 agents and one support staff member who have died in the line of duty.
The memorial, a series of plaques with the names of the fallen across the El Paso Sector, was inaugurated Wednesday at the El Paso Sector headquarters.
Among the sea of green uniforms, Inez Vasquez was there to remember her husband, Freddie Vasquez, who died in the line of duty in May 2021.
“It still feels surreal that he’s gone,” Inez Vasquez said, noting the milestones she has seen their two children, who were 8 and 10 years old at the time of Freddie Vasquez’s death, reach that their father never got to see.
She remembered her husband as an amazing agent, but even more so as an amazing husband, father and a “very selfless human being.”
“He was very proud of being an agent,” she said. “He’s greatly, greatly missed.”
The names on the plaques at the new Fallen Agent Memorial date back as early as 1919 and stretch well beyond El Paso, because the Border Patrol’s El Paso Sector covers all of El Paso and Hudspeth counties, as well as all of New Mexico.
Plaques included the names of agents from stations in Deming, N.M., Lordsburg, N.M., Fort Hancock and Ysleta.
“This monument stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment of each of those courageous Border Patrol agents who gave their lives in service to our nation,” said Border Patrol Acting Chief Operating Officer James McCament during Wednesday’s ceremony. “The men and women of the Border Patrol confront daily challenges that demand the utmost dedication and bravery. As we unveil this memorial, we honor the 28 members of the El Paso Sector who made the ultimate sacrifice and pay tribute to the names etched on it.”
Whose names are on the memorial?
The 28 names on the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector Agent Memorial, in chronological order, are:
Clarence Childress, El Paso died April 16, 1919
Charles Gardiner, El Paso Sector, died Oct. 22, 1922
Frank Clark, El Paso Sector, died Dec.
Sector, 13, 1924
Thad Pippen,
April 21, 1927
Benjamin T. Hill, El Paso Station, died May 30, 1929
Ivan Scotten, El Paso Sector, died July 20, 1929
Doyne C. Melton, El Paso Station, died Dec. 7, 1933
Bert Walthall, El Paso Station, died Dec. 27, 1933
Ralph Ramsey, El Paso Sector, died Feb. 26, 1942
Michael T. Box, El Paso Sector (Air), died Aug. 29, 1950
Richard Clarke, El Paso Station, died Dec. 18, 1950
James Kirchner, El Paso Station, died Nov. 15, 1954
Edwin Curtis Dennis, Ysleta, died Feb. 4, 1974
Lee Bounds, Lordsburg, died March 29, 1974
Oscar Torres, El Paso Station, died Nov. 30, 1974
El Paso
Sector, died
Louis D. Stahl, El Paso Sector (Air), died Jan. 6, 1992
Xavier Magdaleno, El Paso Station, died May 10, 1995
Rene B. Garza, Lordsburg, died Jan. 20, 1999
Ramon Navarez,
March 15, 2007
David J. Tourscher, Lordsburg, died March 16, 2007
Leopoldo Cavazos Jr., Fort Hancock, died July 6, 2012
David Gomez, El Paso Station, died Nov. 16, 2016
Isaac Morales, Ysleta, died May 24, 2017
Johan Mordan, Lordsburg, died June 12, 2020
Freddie Vasquez, El Paso Station, died May 8, 2021
Edgardo Acosta-Feliciano, died July 31, 2021
Salvador Martinez Jr., El Paso Station, died Nov. 30, 2021
The memorial unveiled Wednesday is
Lordsburg, died
Deming, only a piece of what’s in store to remember the El Paso Sector agents who have died in the line of duty. In the El Paso Sector headquarters lobby, an interactive display is planned where visitors can learn more about each agent.
McCament noted that each of the names on the memorial “represents a story and a unique life” — the interactive memorial will allow visitors to learn those stories.
To El Paso Chief Patrol Agent Anthony “Scott” Good, the new memorials recognize in perpetuity the sacrifice El Paso Sector agents have made over the years.
“Every agent takes an oath that involves swearing allegiance to uphold the United States Constitution and (protect) the United States of America from all enemies foreign and domestic,” he said. “Tragically, to uphold this oath, agents have paid the ultimate price by selflessly giving their lives for their country.
“Their sacrifice will ... be remembered and passed along to future generations.”