DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Back in September of 1915, a lieutenant named Joseph Dorst Patch rode in under orders from the United States Army and established what would become Camp Kingsville. Now, the times called for it — this was during what the marker calls the troubles on the Mexican border, and somebody had to hold the line.
Patch was that somebody. Under his hand, Camp Kingsville became the operational base for Companies K, L, and M of the 26th Infantry, U.S. Army.
Their mission was specific and serious: defend the Armstrong, Kenedy, and King ranches, and keep the rail line running from San Antonio all the way down to Norias, against raids by Mexican insurgents striking north of the Rio Grande. That is not a quiet posting. That is a watch you keep with both eyes open.
Early in 1917, a visitor came through Camp Kingsville — and not just any visitor. General John J. Pershing, the U.S. border commander himself, came to have a look.
What he saw must have impressed him, because later that same year, Pershing chose men of the 26th Infantry to become a vanguard regiment of the First Division, American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. Think about that. The same men who'd been riding fence lines in South Texas were now bound for France, headed into the teeth of a world war.
And with their departure, Camp Kingsville closed. Just like that — here and then gone. Now, the man who started it all, Joseph Dorst Patch, was born December 8, 1885, at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
He enlisted in 1909 and was commissioned in 1911. Along the way he married Minerva King of Agua Dulce. He served in two world wars — let that settle for a moment — two world wars — and came out the other side decorated in a way that takes a breath to list: the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star, and the Order of the Bath, that last one British.
He retired in 1945 as a major general. And then — this is the part that gets me — he turned to writing. A man who'd seen all of that, and he sat down and wrote.
His home was in Corpus Christi, where he died November 21, 1966. The back of this marker carries a dedication to his memory, calling him soldier, humanitarian, patriot. Three words.
Some men earn all three, and Joseph Dorst Patch was one of them.
What the marker says
(1915 - 1917) Established in September 1915 by Lt. Joseph Dorst Patch, acting under orders of the United States Army during the troubles on the Mexican border. This camp served as the operational base for companies K, L and M of the 26th Infantry, U.S. Army. These units were detailed to defend the Armstrong, Kenedy and King ranches and the rail line from San Antonio to Norias against raids by Mexican insurgents striking north of the Rio Grande. Early in 1917, this camp was visited by the U.S. border commander, Gen. John J. Pershing, who later that year chose men of the 26th Infantry to become a vanguard regiment of the now famous First Division, American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. With departure of the chosen troops, bound for France, Camp Kingsville was closed. Joseph Dorst Patch, born December 8, 1885, at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., enlisted in 1909 and was commissioned in 1911. He married Minerva King of Agua Dulce. He served in two world wars, and was awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star, and the Order of the Bath (British). Retired in 1945 as a major general, he turned to writing as a vocation. His home was in Corpus Christi, where he died November 21, 1966. Incise on back: Plaque dedicated to Memory of Joseph Dorst Patch, Major general, U.S. Army,... soldier, humanitarian, patriot.