First look at new Army 4X4

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kjm

New member
Who's the dumb one? The Animals (both Mules and Donkeys) tend to be much smarter than the human companion.
 
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Jeff White

New member
What's wrong with that? Why is it dumb?

The Army has looked at pack animals for extended operations in extremely rough terrain for years. They have even written a field manual and produced a training tape.

Hate to say it, but in some parts of the world, horses mules and llamas are the best mobility assets that exist.

Jeff
 
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Jim V

New member
When you gotta get material where a vehicle can't go and choppers would have aproblem getting in. Mule Train....

Besides if worse came to worse, you can eat a mule/donkey, Humvees taste awful.

While they may have a manual and traing tape, does the military have a packers school? Reading a book and watching a video ain't gonna teach you how to throw a diamond hitch or balance a load.
 
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Jeff White

New member
Jim,

I don't know of any formal school, but I'm quite certain that the units involved probably contracted with a civilan school for the training they needed. If they recognized the need for a pack animal capability enough to make it doctrine by writing a field manual, I'm sure they provided the proper training before they deployed. BTW, the manual recommends llamas as the best pack animals. :D

Jeff
 
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Navy joe

New member
No parts, no diesel, low IR and noise signature, easily disguised as refugee train, if it breaks shoot and eat. what's not to love?
 
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Jim V

New member
Llamas are great pack animals but might be a tad out of place in Afghanistan. :) They like people which is more than you can say about camels and some mules. They just will not carry more that what they consider a correct load.
 
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K80Geoff

New member
I don't know about this.

My cousin has a LLama and it doesn't like me:(

Wonder if they will bring back the 75mm pack howitzer, I ran a 3 gun salute battery with them when I was a 2lt. Lots of fun. Scared the bejesus out of the pilots in the O club at Ft Stewart one day when we were practising :D
 
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LoneStranger

New member
Last but not least you have to remember that more wars have been fought and won using this type of transportation than anything with newfangled wheels. :D
 
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Seeker

New member
I have heard goats work well as pack animals, too. They browse while the walk ( so don't need to pack grain), are sure footed, and if you get the right variety they can provide you with milk. And of course can be made into jerky if need be.
 
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mussi

New member
The Swiss Army still has a mule train. Believe me - the Alps are full of places an ATV cannot go and a copter doesn't want to go. In thick fog, more helicopters crashed than survived.

Also, mules survive EMP, feed themselves on grass and can be eaten if it must be. :)
 
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Mantas

New member
I don't know if you guys are wanabe cowboys like I am, but I think using horses and mules over there is kinda 'cool', true 'throwbacks' to another time. Besides all of the other advantages mentioned above, I think that this is a great way of earning the respect and admiration of the alliance forces that we are fighting with.

What do you think would be better in their eyes?:

"You do this and I will be riding along right beside you."
OR
"You do this and I will be in a helicopter, plane, or tank using technology and weapons that you don't have to protect me and fight the Taliban in our 'westernized' way. I'll get back to you afterwards to see how you did....... good luck."
 
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gyp_c2

New member
It really hasn't been that long that we had a "horse" cavalry...I still have Dads' spurs and they used all kinds of 4-leggers...I'm sure the ARMY still has the know-how somewhere to pack an animal ;)

They sure know how to pack us two-leggers!

...I always did like the Brown leather livery the original "cav" used...
bandit.gif
 
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