The School the Aztec Eagles Built

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Mexico to help us fight in World War II, Mexico loaned 300 men to join with the U.S.A. to fight the Japanese in the South Pacific. The “Aztec Eagles” the nickname for El Squadron 201, trained in the U.S. and then flew in aircraft painted with the U.S.A. insignia and the red, green, and white of the Mexican flag on the tail. The only time the U.S. has carried the markings of a foreign country on their planes.

The book is on the Social Studies list and exemplifies what one person can do in teacher Angel Bocanegra asking Mexico to build a school for his village in exchange for him serving in the Aztec Eagles. That school still stands today in Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico.