You shouldn't fell too sorry for the burrito. That's how the burro keeps his strength up.

[Fun fact: "Burrito," the diminutive of "burro," means "little burro." - Dave]

It never ceases to amaze me how can such a small animal be strong enough to pull a cart, its contents, the man sitting on it, plus its harness. Someone mentioned they felt sorry for the soldier. I feel sorry for the burrito too.

This was a recently declassified, pre-Great War, covert operation to smuggle goats behind enemy lines by disguising them as donkeys. Taft was a clever man.

There's only one type of donkey that could look that ugly - the "Baudet du Poitou" from France. Today there only about 200 or so purebreds left, and at one time they were close to extinction, with only 44 known to exist. What one of these truly strange French beasts is doing working for the U.S. Army in 1912 is a real mystery. The Poitou was brought over to the US to crossbreed with other breeds of donkeys (maybe after a few beers, perhaps) to develop the American Mammoth donkey.

The photo reminds me of a Bill Mauldin cartoon drawn during the invasion of Italy. His bone-tired soldiers Willie and Joe are working on a muddy hillside in a driving rain, building a log pathway to a latrine. One of them looks disgusted and the other says, "Quit your complaining! You're learning a trade!"

Maybe he got caught with the post commander's wife, daughter or son. Just thinking.

....is what the look on his face seems to be saying. I'd be requesting a transfer too.

Those carts were originally called "tote goats." Easy to assemble, they were used worldwide. Burros were low maintenance and are still a common means of transportation in places like Africa and Mexico. The Tote Goat trail bikes got their name from these sure-footed ancestors.

I'd guess Fort Myer in Virginia. The duplexes look like officers' quarters.

The donkey is looking semi-miserable, but has a long thick coat against the cold. But Mr. Donkey Cart driver had to have had sore legs/butt from sitting astride the edge of the cart like that. How on earth does one get assigned to this duty!?

That cart looks rather makeshift for the Army. I guess this was before huge defense contracts and $1000 toilet seats. The burro seems well equipped for winter temperatures.

This photo gives new meaning to the term army draft.