‘Mexican Lindbergh’: Emilio Carranza remembered at memorial service in N.J.’s Pine Barrens, where his plane crashed

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Dozens of people from across the region converged Saturday on a remote part of the Wharton State Forest near Tabernacle, New Jersey – about 40 miles east of Philadelphia – to pay homage to an early aviation hero.

They were celebrating the memory of Emilio Carranza, a Mexican fighter pilot who, while completing a goodwill mission in 1928, died when his plane crashed in the Pine Barrens.

“We have to remember planes at the time were a rarity,” said Robert Barney, chairman of the Carranza Memorial Committee of American Legion Post 11 in Mount Holly, New Jersey. “It was a new invention. They really didn’t have much use for them, so they experimented with it.”

Representatives from several organizations were in attendance at the memorial, including the Tabernacle Township Committee, Empire City Motorcycle Club of New York City, Ballet Folklórico de Mexicano de Nueva York, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Mexican Consulates in Philadelphia, New Brunswick, New Jersey and New York City.

Saturday’s ceremony comes as tensions between the United States and Mexico have heightened over trade and immigration, among other issues. Attendees at the Carranza Memorial said they hope the service will be a reminder of the close ties the two nations share.

Carranza is also known as the Lindbergh of Mexico

Back in 1927, when the United States attempted to recalibrate its relationship with Latin America, aviating legend Charles Lindbergh was asked by U.S. Ambassador Dwight Morrow to fly a “goodwill tour” starting in Mexico City. At that time, Lindbergh had just completed the first nonstop transatlantic flight between New York and Paris.

Carranza, an accomplished pilot in his own right, held the record for the third-longest nonstop solo flight between Mexico City and San Diego. He also admired Lindbergh. The two met when Lindbergh came to Mexico.

“The two immediately become friends because they shared the same ideals and aspirations,” Barney said.

It was decided that Carranza would fly from Mexico City towards Washington, D.C. on a plane similar to Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis” – dubbed “The Mexican Excelsior.” But his arrival to the American capital was delayed due to fog and  he was forced to land in North Carolina.

When he arrived in New York City, Carranza was nicknamed the “Mexican Lindbergh.”

Summer thunderstorms kept postponing Carranza’s flight home to Mexico City. After a month in the U.S., he ignored the advice of other pilots, including Lindbergh, and departed for Mexico.

Carranza would crash in the Pine Barrens, 85 miles into his flight. The wreckage and Carranza’s body were discovered by John Carr and his family, while they were picking berries nearby.

The sheriff activated Post 11 as a search and rescue team to recover Carranza’s remains.

There are conflicting reports on why the plane went down, Barney said. The National Transportation Safety Board said the plane was hit by lightning. But according to the military, it was engine trouble based on the position of a straddle on the spark arrestor.

Carranza’s remains were ultimately returned to Mexico by train with full military honors.

During Saturday’s ceremony, members of Post 11 reenacted the moment they were charged with seeking Carranza’s remains.

They entered the woods and re-emerged moments later with a stretcher carrying a model depicting how Carranza was found, with a metal flashlight in his hand.

Ceremony is a reminder of the friendship between the United States and Mexico

Saturday was the 98th service held in Carranza’s memory. The memorial, built in Mexico, was erected in New Jersey in 1933.

Carlos Obrador, head consul for the Mexican Consulate based in Philadelphia, said the event was an important reminder about the close ties shared by the two neighboring countries.

“It is a great moment to highlight the importance of Mexico for United States and also the importance of United States in Mexico,” he said. “This is a very important event … that remind us every single year for the last 98 years how friendship works.”

That sentiment was also shared by 17-year-old Jonathan Scott Jr., a life scout with Boy Scout Troop 439, based in Tabernacle, New Jersey. He was part of a service project that cleaned up the memorial.

“I have friends that live in this country, and the fact that we can bond with other countries and not be bickering all the time is very important,” he said. “This is an example, we have come together to honor somebody, and I hope we see more events like this in the future around the world.”