Mexican Troops Cross Into U.S. For Hurricane Relief, Arrive In San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) – Mexican Army troops rolled north into the United States for the first time in more than a century, one-time invaders now on a mission of mercy.

The convoy of about 200 unarmed soldiers and medical personnel traveling to aid recovery from Hurricane Katrina received a boisterous greeting Thursday. Honking car horns, “bienvenidos” signs and cheering people wrapped in or waving Mexican flags welcomed them to San Antonio.

“It makes me feel good that my heritage is helping out the United States,” said John Ortega, 46, a member of the Jarret Volunteer Fire Department which brought two fire trucks as part of the welcome wagon. “This is historic and I’m glad to see this happen.”

Dignitaries from both Mexico and the United States earlier greeted the soldiers at the Laredo border crossing, but the arrival in San Antonio created more fanfare. “San Antonio is probably the most Mexican city in the entire United States,” councilman Richard Perez said. Of the city’s 1.2 million residents, roughly 500,000 identify themselves as being of Mexican decent, according to the U.S. Census.

After the convoy entered the former Kelly Air Force base, soldiers wearing green uniforms with yellow armbands that said “Humanitarian Aid” in Spanish began setting up a mobile kitchen to feed about 500 people Thursday night.

The convoy includes two mobile kitchens that can feed 21,000 people a day, three flatbed trucks carrying mobile water treatment plants and 15 trailers of bottled water, blankets and applesauce.

Alexis Avila, 29, a Mexican soldier and cook on the mission, said as a parent of two children, ages 5 and 9, he was moved by the pictures he saw on the television of Katrina’s devastation and its refugees. “As parents, we think the worst and we feel the uncertainty,” Avila said in Spanish. “We want to give hope and say we’re in solidarity with the two governments, Mexico and the United States.”

Daniel Hernandez Joseph, the Mexican consul in Laredo, said the Mexican government’s offer of aid was understandable since the United States has helped Mexico following natural disasters, including the Mexico City’s earthquake in 1985.

“We know what it is like to be on the other side of this, because of that we are saying thank you by responding in kind,” he said. The Mexican government plans another 12-vehicle aid convoy for this week and also sent a Mexican navy ship toward the Mississippi coast with rescue vehicles and helicopters.

Mexico has sent disaster relief aid missions to other Latin American nations, but not to the United States. The last time the Mexican Army visited San Antonio was when it invaded the city – twice in 1842 – to retaliate for a group of Texans who invaded New Mexico the prior year.

Mexico still considered New Mexico its property at the time. In 1846, Mexican troops briefly advanced just north of the Rio Grande in Texas, which had then recently joined the United States. Mexico, however, did not then recognize the Rio Grande as the U.S. border.

The two countries quickly became mired in the Mexican-American War, which led to the loss of half of Mexico’s territory in 1848.

Mexico sent a squadron of pilots to train in the United States in the 1940s, but they served outside the United States – in the Philippines – in World War II.

By ABE LEVY Associated Press Writer

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-09-08-05 1917EDT