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| Afghanistan/South Asia | |
| The Marine Corp needs a few good donkeys | |
| 2005-08-15 | |
| That seems a very logical move. THE US military has gone low-tech. Frustrated with the limitations of using its fleet of modern Humvee four-wheel-drives in rugged mountains with few roads, a battalion of marines has enlisted the help of transport vehicles that Afghan villagers have been using for centuries - donkeys. About 30 of the animals have been rented from local farmers to haul food and bottled water to hundreds of Afghan and US troops on a major two-week operation to battle militants deep in remote mountains in eastern Afghanistan. "With all the smart bombs and the modern stuff in war nowadays, this is the best way for us to resupply our troops there," said Lieutenant Colonel Jim Donnellan, commander of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Using aircraft to resupply the forces is also dangerous. In late June, militants in the area shot down a special forces Chinook helicopter, killing all 16 troops on board, as it tried to land. The operation is aimed at flushing those fighters out of the valley and US commanders are nervous about risking other choppers. Australia's most famous military donkey was used by war hero John Simpson at Gallipoli. Simpson used his donkey - called either Duffy, Murphy or Abdul - to carry dozens of wounded. In Afghanistan, at one end of Korengal Valley, where the militants are suspected of hiding, squads of US Marines with heavy packs on their backs led out lines of donkeys, each laden with two boxes of water, a box of food rations and a sack of grain.
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| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #10 I've heard they did use mules in Italy during WW2 and had to use field manuals originally written in the late 1800s from the Indian campaigns. Seems plausible. Anyone know? |
| Posted by: JAB 2005-08-15 21:38 |
| #9 Giving old meaning to the phrase; "Get your tired ass up that hill." LOL! I had to call my Ex-Marine Father In law to share that tidbit... |
| Posted by: Ptah 2005-08-15 21:29 |
| #8 Funny how these tales get circulated. I'll take your word for it, being there trumping military rumor mill. At the time I was in Germany, involved in other business. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-08-15 21:08 |
| #7 Nice Myth Moose. However, I was with the 10th in its reactivation from 1985-88 in the DISCOM where said transport would go. There never were any mules or facilities created. Never got to use the new facilities cause weren't built yet, had to do with rehab'd WWII buildings while the new Drum was constructed. Had a number of offers of former Mountaineers to show us the ropes, but it never was in the plan. "Climb to Glory" |
| Posted by: Jirt Omager7355 2005-08-15 15:58 |
| #6 But if the mules get loose, they don't breed. |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-08-15 14:22 |
| #5 Mules are better than either horses or donkeys, for they are hardy and disease resistant. In desert or sub-desert environments you will find that the horse part in the mule makes them less suitable than donkeys (originally a desert animal) |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-08-15 12:23 |
| #4 I don't think this is what they had in mind, though. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-08-15 11:51 |
| #3 That's because you need a guy like Donald O'Connor to handle these mules. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2005-08-15 10:41 |
| #2 The irony of this comes from the 10th Mountain Division in New York. When they were formed, they assumed that mules would be a major part of their operations. Mules are better than either horses or donkeys, for they are hardy and disease resistant. So the Division built large stables and purchased a bunch of mules. Unfortunately, they were unable to find anyone who was a skilled muleskinner, to train other muleskinners. And, unless you understand the way of mules, they are as unusable as a truck with no engine or wheels. So they ended up having a mule "fire sale", and returning to motor vehicles. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-08-15 10:32 |
| #1 PETA protest in 5...4...3... |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-08-15 09:24 |