Garand_Slam
New member
- 2
- 8
- 3
- Location
- Des Moines, IA
Hi all,
A little while back I bought an M274 A3. I had done plenty of research on the vehicle itself but not as much of delivery or unit distribution during the Vietnam Era. From what I have heard, the Mule was only ever issued to the Army and Marine Core. That said, my mule has Marine Core numbers and markings on it. However, I have also found traces of grey paint and distinct set of numbers prefaced by USN. I asked Terry at Mechanical Mules of America about this, and he told me that it wasn't uncommon for Marine mules used by dock workers to be stole... "procured" by aircraft carrier ordnance crews, painted grey overnight, and used by the Navy. My grandfather who served on the USS. Ticonderoga remembered having seen the Mules on the carrier but couldn't remember where they came from. I reached out to the museum ships USS. Midway and the USS. Intrepid which didn't provide any real validation to the story. To make a long story short, I plan to restore my Mule in naval haze grey because I enjoy the story and the side of the Mule history that I haven't seen in other restorations. However, I want to make sure that this did actually occur because I really value historical accuracy so I would appreciate if any veterans also had mule stories or if anyone had any pictures they could share of mules in Navy Service. I'll provide some pictures of my marking below.
A little while back I bought an M274 A3. I had done plenty of research on the vehicle itself but not as much of delivery or unit distribution during the Vietnam Era. From what I have heard, the Mule was only ever issued to the Army and Marine Core. That said, my mule has Marine Core numbers and markings on it. However, I have also found traces of grey paint and distinct set of numbers prefaced by USN. I asked Terry at Mechanical Mules of America about this, and he told me that it wasn't uncommon for Marine mules used by dock workers to be stole... "procured" by aircraft carrier ordnance crews, painted grey overnight, and used by the Navy. My grandfather who served on the USS. Ticonderoga remembered having seen the Mules on the carrier but couldn't remember where they came from. I reached out to the museum ships USS. Midway and the USS. Intrepid which didn't provide any real validation to the story. To make a long story short, I plan to restore my Mule in naval haze grey because I enjoy the story and the side of the Mule history that I haven't seen in other restorations. However, I want to make sure that this did actually occur because I really value historical accuracy so I would appreciate if any veterans also had mule stories or if anyone had any pictures they could share of mules in Navy Service. I'll provide some pictures of my marking below.
