World War I New Mexico

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In 1917, five years after New Mexico received its statehood, the United States entered World War I. With border tensions festering between Mexico and the United States, Germany attempted unsuccessfully to secure Mexico’s allegiance with its Zimmermann Telegram. More than sixteen thousand New Mexicans joined the military, while civilians supported from the home front. Groups like the Knights of Columbus, YMCA and the Salvation Army, as well as Governor W.E. Lindsey’s New Mexico Council of Defense, raised military funding. Author Daniel R. Cillis recounts the Land of Enchantment’s influence on World War I from its beginning through to the 1918 Armistice.