Trooper and Traveller

A “change of command” ceremony was held at the United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York, on September 7, 2002. During halftime of the Army–Holy Cross football game, the U.S. Army mascot mules, Traveller (sometimes spelled Traveler) and Trooper, were officially retired, with their reins handed to U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson of Arkansas. The mules were around twenty years old and had served as mascots since 1990. While Trooper and Traveller had been ridden often by West Point cadets in parades and during Army football games, once they became residents of the Natural State, they were completely saddle-free.

Former USMA Board of Visitors member and U.S. Army officer Robert Lyford had learned the previous year that West Point wanted to retire the mascots. He also knew that his friend Judge Wilson had a mule farm in Arkansas. USMA veterinarian Major Felecia Langel agreed to the mules being transferred to Wilson’s care on the condition that they stayed together and that the “A” that was shaved on both mules’ hindquarters be grown out. Their immediate retirement home designation was Wilson’s Wye Mountain Rasputin Mule Farm.

The mules were part of a tradition dating back to 1899, when the Army chose the mule as its mascot, in part to compete with the popular Navy goat mascot. The mule was also chosen as a reflection of the long-standing usefulness of this animal in military operations, and its strength and perseverance made it an inspiring symbol for the Corps of Cadets. Notably, at sixteen hands and weighing 1,200 pounds, Traveller was one of the largest mules to have served as an Army mascot.

A reception was held in Arkansas at the MacArthur Museum of Military History in Little Rock (Pulaski County) on Saturday, October 19, 2002. The event invitation reads: “Please join us as we celebrate the retirement and relocation of two esteemed Army veterans. ‘Trooper’ and ‘Traveler’ have completed their respective hitches as mascots for the United States Military Academy at West Point and begin civilian life in Arkansas in the company of Judge Bill Wilson.” A crowd of more than 150 greeted the mules, with some patting them and giving nose-kisses. Despite the steady rain, Trooper and Traveller seemed at ease in their cordoned off, straw-filled area.

The program inside the museum featured presentations by Joe Volpe (USMA Class of 1988), Lieutenant Governor Winthrop P. Rockefeller, Secretary of State Sharon Priest, and the director of the MacArthur Museum, Stephen McAteer. McAteer stressed how important it was that the event was held at the birthplace of USMA graduate and former academy superintendent General Douglas MacArthur. He also noted that during MacArthur’s birth year of 1880, mules would have been a common sight and played a significant role in the operations of the Little Rock Arsenal.

Rockefeller named Trooper an honorary Arkansas State Trooper. Priest presented them both with a special Arkansas Traveler certificate, long a tribute to Arkansas’s honored guests. Among the crowd were former Arkansas governor and Major General Sidney S. McMath (USMC, retired), former U.S. Senator David Pryor, and U.S. Representative Vic Snyder.

At the Rasputin Mule Farm, the judge hosted the editors and staff of various publications, including the editor of Vanderbilt University’s Vanderbilt Lawyer and the editor of Arkansas Living, a publication of the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.

After the mules resided for a time at Wilson’s Wye Mountain farm, Wilson asked his longtime family friend, Texarkana (Miller County) attorney John C. Goodson, if he would be interested in housing Trooper and Traveller at his much larger mule farm. Goodman agreed to do so, and the mules lived the rest of their lives in Miller County.

Traveller outlived Trooper, reaching an approximate age of forty. They were both buried in Miller County.

For additional information:
Lyford, Nell Weaver. “Judge to the Rescue: West Point Mules Found a Home.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, November 3, 2025, p. 5B. Online at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2025/nov/03/when-west-point-mules-moved-to-arkansas/ (accessed December 31, 2025).