Donkeys and Mules

The Mules sculpture at the National Service Animals Memorial represents the millions of mules that have served, and continue to serve, in our military.

Mules fulfilled an important role in WWI And WWII, carrying ammunition, food, equipment, and the wounded, traveling on terrain that vehicles could not navigate. Relying on them for their help and assistance through hazardous conditions, mud and harsh weather, many soldiers developed great affection for the mules who were suffering alongside them through the hardships of war.

Mules were employed in the Korean War and in the more recent military engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Donkeys, like mules, were essential in the transport of food, supplies, ammunition and the wounded, during WWI and WWII. A donkey’s sure-footedness on rocky crags and ability to carry up to a third of its body weight proved to be extremely beneficial on rough terrain. It has been said that a good donkey knows “three steps ahead where it wants to walk.”

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, Gift of Regan Forrester, from the Collection of The National World War II Museum