Marines' beasts of burden are again leading the pack

Lance Cpl. Chad Campbell tugs on the lead rope of his pack donkey, Annie, as a fellow Marine pushes from behind. The two men are taking part in a course on pack animals at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest near Bridgeport, Calif.

For centuries, donkeys and mules have been the preferred mode of military transport in Afghanistan. At a training center in the Sierra Nevada, Marines learn how to handle the sure-footed animals.

By Tony Perry
LA Times

July 7, 2009

Reporting from Bridgeport, Calif. — With 75 pounds of military gear cinched on her furry 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.

"C'mon, girl, you can make it," Lance Cpl. Chad Campbell whispered in her ear.

"Only one more hill," promised Lance Cpl. Cameron Cross as he shoved Annie's muscular hindquarters.

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