In 1916, a year before America joined WWI, young men volunteered for military service on the Mexican border during the on-going Mexican revolution. From the start of the Mexican Revolution in 1910, the American army periodically stationed forced in U. S. border towns to ensure fighting stayed on the southern side of the border. In 1916, after Pancho Villa’s forces raided New Mexico for supplies, Military leader and future commander of the United States’ military forces in WWI, John J Pershing, took troops into Mexico on a “punitive attack.” Among the forces along the border were several Lawrencians who would go on to military service in WWI, including James Naismith. This exhibit explores Lawrence’s role in the border conflict and how the 1916 Mexico campaign shaped America’s entry into WWI.