For Border Patrol Agents Travis Attaway, Jeremy Wilson, and Senior Patrol Agent Javier Sandoval, this Sunday was not unlike any other day routinely patrolling their 39-mile segment of the Rio Grande. The river was especially turbulent, a result of heavy rains the night before. But this was nothing new for these agents familiar with the wild and turbulent Rio Grande—a dynamic, dangerous, and unpredictable river. They, like all the men and women on the river patrol, accepted that risk when patrolling our borders on land and on the river.

CBP Border Patrol Chief David V. Aguilar presents the American flag to the parents of Travis Attaway.

There is no black box to tell us specifically what happened that day as they patrolled the waters near a small irrigation dam just upriver of the Free Trade Bridge at Los Indios port of entry. But sometime in mid-afternoon, Jeremy Wilson accidentally fell off the pitching boat, and soon thereafter, their 18-foot Baymaster boat capsized ejecting both Attaway and Sandoval into the rough, murky water. A second Border Patrol boat, travelling in tandem, witnessed the accident and threw out ropes, rescuing Capt. Javier Sandoval. However, Agents Wilson and Attaway were not immediately found in the rough waters.

The search
Throughout that Sunday night, Border Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, and Texas State Trooper helicopters circled the area looking for any sign of the agents. Boat crews from the Coast Guard, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Border Patrol McAllen and Laredo sectors came together for a massive search. As many as 15 boats were in the water hoping to rescue or recover the agents. But the churning waters hindered search and rescue efforts.

In addition to the air and marine search, Border Patrol agents on horseback searched the river banks for any sign of their colleagues. Canine units were also brought in to look for the agents.

By late Monday, the Coast Guard began using weighted dummies to simulate accident conditions. Throwing the dummies overboard into 30 to 38 feet of water, they determined that a dam submerged in unusually high waters had created a whirlpool effect and was likely trapping the bodies. Between 1 and 3 a.m. On Tuesday, September 21, both bodies were recovered within 60 yards of each other and near the accident site.

Jeremy Wilson—third-generation Border Patrol agent

Jeremy Wilson

Jeremy Wilson had grown up knowing the work of the Border Patrol. His father, Mike, had worked in California and then at the Blaine sector on the northern border for 25 years before retiring in 2004. Jeremy graduated from Mt. Baker High School in Ferndale, Wash., and later attended college in Washington State. He was single, athletic, and committed to physical activity and personal fitness. He was an avid baseball fan and a key player on the Harlingen Border Patrol softball team.

Jeremy liked being part of the team, in all senses of that word. Friends and acquaintances say that initially he appeared quiet, but that he came alive when hanging out with his friends. Jeremy had a sense of adventure, volunteering for new or challenging assignments. During his seven years with the Border Patrol, he served with the bike patrol and at Harlingen’s Valley International airport. He also enjoyed working with all-terrain vehicle patrols, and especially with the boat patrol.

Travis Attaway—a singer at heart
Travis Attaway, also a seven year Border Patrol veteran, and friend of Jeremy, was a native of D’hanis, a small south Texas community. He attended Southwest Texas State University, now Texas State University, studying criminal justice. Living close to the border, he too was familiar with the work of the Border Patrol and chose it for his career. Travis was a member of the horse patrol before volunteering for the boat patrol. He too had not yet married and enjoyed uncomplicated pleasures like riding horses or singing a good country-western song for friends. Matt Myers, a colleague of Travis’s who attended training with him at the Academy, recalls that Travis would take the stage after hired performers finished their set, playing guitar and singing George Strait or Clint Black songs.

Travis Attaway

A joint memorial service was held on Thursday, September 23, 2004, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Harlingen, Tex. More than 800 people attended the service and more than 200 of their fellow Border Patrol colleagues came to pay their respects. Dignitaries like Duncan Campbell, Chief of Staff, Department of Homeland Security, and Deborah Spero, Acting Deputy Commissioner, U. S. Customs and Border Protection, gave eulogies. Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar, McAllen Sector Chief Ramon Ortega, and Harlingen Station Patrol Agent-in-Charge Eligio Peña also paid tribute to the agents. The next day, the bodies of both agents were taken back to their hometowns where they were laid to rest.

“Border Patrol agents join the agency knowing from the outset that the rigors of the job demand personal sacrifice. These young men and women put themselves in harm’s way to protect our country,” said Chief David Aguilar, CBP Border Patrol. “The Rio Grande is one of nature’s and the Border Patrol’s most dangerous assignments and Agents Attaway and Wilson knew that going in. Yet they accepted the challenge. In a world where the word “hero” is so often carelessly applied, these young men remind us of what true heroism is.”

Both agent’s names will be added to the CBP valor memorial for fallen officers, where they will serve as a reminder of the dedication and honor that defined their lives.