As it has done for so many years, American Legion Mount Holly Post 11 will host the annual Capt. Emilio Carranza Memorial Service on Saturday at the Carranza Memorial in the Wharton State Forest.
The event – now in its 98th year – will take place rain or shine at 1 p.m. and there is no rain date.
“This year’s ceremony carries special significance in light of the recent tragic incident involving the sail training vessel ARM Cuauhtémoc, in which Mexican naval cadets lost their lives during a goodwill mission between our two nations,” said Luis Gaxiola-Baqueiro, co-acting chairman and liaison officer for the Legion post.
“The tragedy echoes the circumstances of Capt. Carranza’s own ill-fated flight in 1928, underlining the enduring spirit of international friendship and sacrifice.”
Carranza, a young and decorated pilot in the Mexican Air Corps, was commissioned to undertake a goodwill flight to the U.S. in 1928, a response to aviator Charles Lindbergh’s earlier flight to Mexico City. Throughout his journey, Carranza was warmly welcomed and celebrated by thousands across the country, strengthening the bonds of friendship between the two countries, according to information from Legion Post 11 in Mount Holly.
After successful stops in Washington, D.C., and New York City, Carranza prepared for his return flight to Mexico on the evening of July 12. Against the advice of airport officials and amid severe thunderstorms, he took off from Long Island’s Roosevelt Field after receiving a military telegram ordering his immediate return.
Tragically, over the remote Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey, Carranza’s aircraft encountered a violent lightning storm and crashed, ending his life at just 22. Upon learning of the crash, Post 11 organized a recovery mission, trekking through 25 miles of dense forest to retrieve the pilot’s body.
Upon their return, a Guard of Honor was established around Carranza’s remains, joined by the U.S. Army and the New Jersey state police. Post members then accompanied the body on its journey to Mexico City, where the pilot’s funeral was held. The post’s American flag draped his casket and hangs in Mexico’s School of Aviation to this day.
Post 11 held the first annual service in Carranza’s honor on Memorial Day in 1929. Two months later, a second service was conducted at the crash site. By 1933, with donations from schoolchildren in Mexico, a monument constructed from stone quarried near Carranza’s hometown was erected at the exact location where his body was found.
The first official memorial service for the pilot known as “Mexico’s Lindbergh” was held at the monument in 1936, which had become accessible by a newly constructed road. Since then, the annual event has grown into a powerful symbol of cross-border friendship. Over the decades, civic groups, military representatives and the public have joined Post 11 in remembering Carranza’s sacrifice.
Post 11 also played a pivotal role in the 1950 return of battle flags from the Mexican-American War. Its advocacy led to a historic Congressional act and a ceremonial return of the flags at the Rotonda de los Niños Héroes in Mexico City, a symbolic act of reconciliation and mutual respect.
American Legion Post 11 in Mount Holly is now in its 98th year of paying tribute to Capt. Emilio Carranza, an annual event that features a wreath laying (right) at his memorial in Wharton State Forest.
