Well, my bid for the M274A5 that was sitting on top of the hill at Camp
Pendleton fell though. After going round and round with the Base Headshed,
I was finally given a resounding ,"NO!"
That having been said, I went back up to the wrecksite one last time to
take down the serial numbers of the beast, and pay my respects, and saw
that the grass had been flattened and the ground had been broken up. There
were M35 tire tracks and footprints all around the area, as well as a chunk
of metal that I remember being bolted to the deck. Apparently the wreck
had been hauled off, probably during a range sweep. There was nothing left
but part of the cargo rail. Thus ends the story of Marine Mule #1. Many
thanks to CWO Matt Sutton for answering all of my questions and giving what
support he could. As far as the rest of them, well, Semper Fi, Mac...
However, I have not been idle...
While most of the area around Camp Pendleton is urban, there is still a
significant agricultural presence. One of the greatest tips I got was to
look on farms for mules. I have long since pestered the friends I have in
the area, telling them to keep an eye out for self propelled dining room
tables...
...And hit paydirt. One of my old historical reenactment buddies has
decided to move out of California. He owned a little patch of land near
Bonsall (behind Pendleton). He told me that there were bits and pieces of
vehicles strewn through out the property that he had once intended to pick
up, and that I was more than welcome to come down and browse before he gave
up legal rights to the property. (Sven, you are a GOD!)
I went down and looked around. There were mostly rusted out old hulks of
civilian pick-ups, and farm equipment (all of it an honest HX -maybe good
for scrap). I hunted for useable pieces of vehicle, and was headed back to
my car when I heard a whistle. (I think it was a bird, but never let the
truth get in the way of a good story...) I turned to look, and there she
was, sitting out in a little patch of brush just waiting for me... A lil'
M274A5 sitting there as lonely as lonely could be. She didn't have any
wheels (why the hell do people feel the need to take the wheels off of
vehicles when they abandon them?), but the deck was flat, and intact, the
dataplate was mostly there, the frame and control cluster (all three
levers) were there, minus the steering column base, which had been broken
off. (I found the rest of it, but it looked like a pretzel.) A lot of
surface rust, but nothing that a wire brush, a few cases of WD-40, and a 55
gal drum of elbow grease couldn't take care of.
I called up a certain MV enthusiast, who has graciously allowed me to hog
all the glory (thanks C.D.), and we hi-yacka-ed down to Oceanside, an
salvaged the little beast.
It'll take a little work, but upon initial evaluation, all of the parts
that are either missing or damaged I have already researched and found
available. It won't cost an arm and a leg to get her running, and it won't
be too difficult to get her to motor pool standards.
So now, I have my mule, and a nice yarn to go with it. The moral of the
story: DON'T EVER GIVE UP THE SEARCH, THEY ARE OUT THERE. Maybe even
under your nose...
Guess I've got some work to do...
Semper Fi,
Bill Benson
MVPA # (pending approval of application)
M274A5 "Marine Mule #2"
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