see also: in September 2004:   Statement: Response by Chief David V. Aguilar on the Drowning of Three Undocumented Migrants   The Container Security Initiative is Operational at the Port of Naples   CBP Border Patrol Agent Saves Two Human Lives   “Trouble” Shares "Top Dog" Award in the "Paws To Recognize - Salute To Canine World Heroes"   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Responds to Mediterranean Fruit Fly Detection in Tijuana   Agents Mourn and Honor the Loss of two of their own ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this news release

Los Indios, Texas - It is with deep regret that the McAllen Border Patrol Sector announces that on Tuesday, September 21, 2004, at approximately 1:30 a.m., joint recovery operations lead by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol agents succeeded in locating the body of Senior Patrol Agent Travis W. Attaway. Searchers located his body approximately one-quarter mile east of the accident scene. At approximately 3:05 a.m., search teams then located the body of Senior Patrol Agent Jeremy M. Wilson 50 yards away from Agent Attaway's location.

"Senior Patrol Agents Travis Attaway and Jeremy Wilson paid the ultimate price, sacrificing their lives to defend our great nation. Senior Patrol Agents Attaway and Wilson embody the dedication and commitment of all our officers and agents to guard our border," said U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner. "Defending our country's borders is a dangerous occupation. Agents like Travis Attaway and Jeremy Wilson are at risk everyday. We Americans mourn their loss while we praise their service. We remember them and we keep them in our prayers."

Two days prior to their bodies being recovered, Attaway and Wilson, along with Senior Patrol Agent Javier Sandoval, were involved in a single-craft boating accident west of the Los Indios Port of Entry, Los Indios, Texas. Although a nearby Border Patrol marine unit rescued SPA Sandoval, they were unable to initially locate Attaway and Wilson. A two-day search and recovery operation unified local, state, and other federal agencies in an exhaustive search of the river area near the accident.

"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 David Aguilar, National Chief of the Border Patrol. "The Rio Grande River 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."

"I am very proud of the Border Patrol agents who have worked so hard to make this grim recovery possible. I am indebted to the other agencies that worked side-by-side with us, around the clock, in hopes of finding two of our own," said McAllen Chief Patrol Agent Ramon T. Ortega. "From fire chiefs to game wardens, dive teams to Red Cross volunteers, these men and women are consummate professionals. Now that we have recovered Agents Attaway and Wilson, our thoughts and prayers remain with their families. We take small comfort in that their bodies were recovered even as we mourn their loss."

Agent Attaway, a seven-year veteran of the Harlingen Station, entered on duty with the U.S. Border Patrol on December 1, 1997. A native of D'Hanis, Texas, a small town roughly fifty miles west of San Antonio, Attaway soon made the Rio Grande Valley his home. Over this tenure, he became active in the station horse, bike, and boat patrols. He also served as a firearms instructor at the Advanced Training Academy in Artesia, New Mexico.

Agent Wilson, a seven-year veteran of the Harlingen Station, entered on duty with the U.S. Border Patrol on November 3, 1997. A native of Bellingham, Washington, a small town located in the northwest corner of Washington State approximately thirteen miles south of the Canadian Border, Wilson made his home in Harlingen, Texas. The son of retired Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Michael Wilson of the Blaine Station, Agent Wilson shared his father's devotion to duty and followed him into the Patrol.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.