Thread: Mexican Forces Wind Up Humanitarian Mission

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Mexican Forces Wind Up Humanitarian Mission

September 26, 2005 05:54 PM EST



Not since the 1840s has the Mexican military flown its flag as a deployed military force in the United States, Mexican officials here said today - especially so close to the site of the famed battle of the Alamo where Texas volunteers fought the Mexicans in a bloody daylong clash.
On Sept. 25, the 184-person Mexican army contingent completed its 20-day long mission to provide relief to hurricane victims and relief workers from Katrina and Rita.

In a small ceremony here conducted by the Mexican consulate, the Mexicans ceremonially ended their mission. Now they will break down their camp, pack their equipment, fold their flag and drive back to Mexico.

"Our mission was very successful," Maj. Cesar Nino said. "We had a great rapport with the U.S. military," he said.

Nino, a staff officer on the Mexican task force, said that relief workers and hurricane victims were very grateful for the aid that the Mexicans provided. The Mexicans provided hot meals to evacuees and relief workers, and Mexican medical teams also deployed into local area hospitals to tend to the influx of evacuees who flooded San Antonio area hospitals.

The medical team comprised of three doctors, three dentists, three nurses and three paramedics, conducted 134 medical evaluations, performed 526 medical consultations, provided 363 ambulatory nursing procedures, and medically evacuated 83 personnel during their hurricane relief mission.

"They were very busy here," Nino said as medical teams tore down their tents.

The Mexican Army's field kitchen, a tractor-trailer turned into a kitchen, served 170,000 meals during their deployment here, the former Kelly Air Force Base. They also assisted in the distribution and management of more than 184,000 tons of supplies.

Mexican army Sgt. E. Flores was glad he got the opportunity to serve in the disaster relief effort.

"This was an important thing for us to do," Flores said. "It's historical and we were a part of it."

Nino said many Mexican soldiers have family in the United States. "Some of our soldiers have family right here in San Antonio," Nino said. "So they were able to see their family while also serving here."

The Mexican army will close its camp at Kelly Sept. 27 and convoy home in its reported 45 vehicles.

www.dentonrc.com

Mexican Army to leave after historic relief mission

09/26/2005

By ABE LEVY / Associated Press


After nearly three weeks of providing food and medical care to thousands of hurricane victims, a historic relief team from the Mexican army prepared to return home Monday afternoon.

Among their accomplishments were preparing and serving nearly 160,000 hot meals and performing 660 dental and medical exams.

Unarmed since leaving Mexico City on Sept. 7, the nearly 200 soldiers shook hands Monday with local dignitaries during a ceremony of appreciation before their expected departure early Tuesday for Mexico City.

The mood was far more amicable than the last time the Mexican Army was here in 1842, when they invaded San Antonio twice, or when they conquered the Alamo six years earlier.

San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger was among a handful of U.S. civilian and military officials to thank Mexico for its relief work, which he said strengthened the bond between Mexico and this city of 1.2 million people, nearly 60 percent of them Hispanic.

"In short, you have been magnificent," Hardberger said. "Your efforts here have been a model for how our two countries and our people should work together."

The Mexico relief team helped the U.S. effort in San Antonio take care of an evacuee population that reached as high as 15,000 in the wake of Hurricane Rita. The number of evacuees from Rita and Katrina stood around 4,700 Monday.

Gen. Francisco Ortiz Valadez, the Mexican commanding general, thanked local authorities with characteristic brevity and said he felt satisfied that the mission was completed without any major roadblocks.

The convoy, which includes 45 military vehicles and nearly 200 personnel, encountered only a few minor problems early in the operation. A couple of vehicles broke down on the way, and it took a day to hook up a water line to its encampment. The meat they brought had to be replaced with meat originating from the U.S. because the U.S. Department of Agriculture did not have a chance to check it.

Those snags did little to hamper the overall relief effort made possible by a self-contained encampment within blocks of two major Red Cross shelters. They made up to 21,000 meals a day in one of two mobile kitchens, working some days up to 18 hours depending on the population of evacuees.

Field Lt. Julio Cesar Mungia Aviles said he had pride in helping despite the mission taking him from his wife and three daughters for nearly three weeks.

"They told me to keep doing what I'm doing and not to worry about them," he said. "It was a moment that gave you strength."

Mexico sent a squadron of pilots to train in the United States in the 1940s. A portion of their training occurred at Majors Field in Greenville, Texas, but they served outside the United States â€â€