Donkeys lead way to war for Marines

Los Angeles Times

BRIDGEPORT, Calif. — With 75 pounds of military gear cinched on her back, Annie was stubborn the whole way. The two Marines assigned to her pushed, pulled and sweet-talked her up the steep, twisting trail on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

“C’mon girl, you can make it,” Lance Cpl. Chad Campbell, of Pleasant Hill, Mo., whispered into her ear.

“Only one more hill,” Lance Cpl. Cameron Cross, of Altus, Okla., said as he shoved Annie’s muscular hindquarters.

The red-hued donkey snorted and let loose that distinctive braying, which begins with a loud nasal inhalation and concludes with an even louder blast of deep-throated protest. She also dropped green foul-smelling clumps, which the Marines carefully sidestepped.

On the rocky, uneven path, Annie never stumbled. A good donkey, Marines say, knows three steps ahead where it wants to walk.

For Campbell and Cross, the day with Annie could be a preview of days to come. Soon, the two might deploy to Afghanistan where donkeys and mules have been the preferred mode of military transport for centuries — and remain so.

With the U.S. shifting its focus from the deserts of Iraq to the mountains of Central Asia, this class on pack animals at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center has become important to the new mission.

Opened in 1951 to train troops for Korea, the center with its several administrative buildings, barracks, enormous tent for visiting troops and a few corrals is set on 47,000 acres of the Toiyabe National Forest, where the Sierra Nevada’s peaks soar above 10,000 feet, perfect terrain to teach high-altitude combat skills.

Five donkeys, 24 mules and five sergeant-trainers are stationed at the center for the animal-packing course, which is given eight times a year to Marines, Army soldiers, Navy SEALs and some foreign troops.

Humvees and helicopters are of limited use in Afghanistan’s mountains. There are few roads, and the air is thin. But a 1,000-pound mule or 400-pound donkey can easily carry a load one-third its weight, or more, if necessary.

The weapons of war have changed, but the basics of handling donkeys and mules are not much different than in the time of Genghis Khan.

“It’s a very primitive way to carry very modern weapons,” said Sgt. Joe Neal, one of the instructors. “But it works.”

On the first day of the 12-day course, Campbell, Cross and 40 other junior Marines, all from Camp Pendleton, listened intently at the corral in Pickel Meadows as instructors talked of battles won with the help of four-footed allies.

The students learned to pack machine guns, mortars, grenades, Javelin missiles and M-16 ammunition, as well as food, water and medical supplies — all needed to carry the fight to the enemy.

“The Taliban are born mountain men; they can move faster in that terrain than we can,” said Staff Sgt. Tyler McDaniel, an Iraq War veteran who is lead instructor for the course. “The pack animals are a force-multiplier. They make sure we can get enough gear and men to the fight.”

For some Marines, animals were part of their upbringing.

“I’m used to breaking horses, but I’m not used to packing mules,” said Pfc. James Moody, 19, of Zavalla, Texas.

“This is all new to me,” said Cpl. Bradley Neuenburg, 20, a computer devotee from San Rafael. “I’m more used to basic syntax, binary language and codes.”

In the beginning, some were leery of being kicked and reluctant to take charge.

“Pull that rope tight,” Sgt. Golden Graham said. “You’re not going to hurt the mule, and otherwise that load is going to fall off up the mountain.”

After several days spent learning to handle rope, tie knots and hitches, and pack and balance loads, the students were graded on the basic knots and hitches, and their demeanor around the animals.

“It’s a dying skill that we need to revive,” said Sgt. Jerry Meece, 35, of Lufkin, Texas, who was a bull rider on the rodeo circuit before enlisting.