- Army Mules
The Army Mules are a group of three
mule s which serve as the mascots of theUnited States Military Academy inWest Point, New York .The tradition of mules as mascots for Army dates back to 1899, when an officer at the
Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot decided that the team needed a mascot to counter the Navygoat . Mules were an obvious choice, as they were used as haulers for Army gear for generations. Not much is known about the "official" mules until 1936, when Mr. Jackson (named for Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson), a former Army pack mule, arrived fromFront Royal, Virginia . He served for twelve years, presiding over two national championship teams. Starting with Mr. Jackson, there have been fifteen "official" Army mules, only one, "Buckshot," being female. The current mule corps are:*Raider (formerly known as Joker): Raider is the senior mulewho has been on campus since 1995. He was a gift of the Quincy (IL) Notre Dame High School Foundation, who had originally brought the mule to the school three years prior, and had been "surrogate" owners since then. He is reddish in color and has a "R" tattooed on his hip.
*Ranger II (also known as George): Named, like his predecessor, for the 75th Ranger Regiment and all Rangers past and present, Ranger II came to the Academy in 2002 as a gift of Steve Townes, class of 1975.
*General Scott (also known as Scotty): Like Ranger II, Scotty came to the Academy as a gift from Steve Townes. He is named for Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Willard W. Scott Jr., a former USMA Superintendent and Army Mule supporter.
The Army Mules are trained by cadet "Mule Riders," a part of the Spirit Support Activity of the U.S. Corps of Cadets. Together they are present at many athletic events, parades, and other ceremonial activities. The day to day care is provided by the soldiers and officers of the Veterinary Corp.
References
* [http://www.goarmysports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11100&KEY=&ATCLID=576516 Army Mules - GoArmySports.com]
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