Smoke, also known as Smoke the Donkey, was a

donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...

that was a

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

and

therapy animal Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is an alternative or complementary type of therapy that includes the use of animals in a treatment. The goal of this animal-assisted intervention is to improve a patient's social, emotional, or cognitive functioning ...

for the United States Marine Corps in 2008 to 2009, during the 2003

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

. In 2011, he was relocated to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

in the United States, where he died of natural causes in 2012. His life has been the subject of a book and his process of relocating from Iraq has been contrasted with the process for humans.

History

Smoke was a

found during the 2003

. Marine Colonel John Folsom helped rescue the malnourished animal and built a corral and stable at Camp Taqaddum in Iraq from 2008 to 2009 among the

Marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

of the

1st Marine Logistics Group The 1st Marine Logistics Group (1st MLG) is a logistics unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, with several subordinate elements located at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and ...

who were deployed there. Folsom found a

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

psychologist to designate Smoke as a

in order to address regulations against keeping the animal on the premises. The donkey became a popular

with the troops, who would send photos to children back home. In 2011, Smoke traveled halfway around the world to the United States: the only donkey to make such a journey. The process to relocate Smoke from Iraq to the United States required senior level diplomatic coordination by multiple countries, and the assistance of the

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which was founded ...

. Once in the United States, Smoke lived at Take Flight Farms in

until his death on August 14, 2012, of natural causes.

Analysis

Smoke's relatively quick

visa Visa most commonly refers to: * Travel visa, a document that allows entry to a foreign country * Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Vi ...

process has been contrasted with the lengthy visa process for Iraqi humans who worked as

interpreter Interpreting is translation from a spoken or signed language into another language, usually in real time to facilitate live communication. It is distinguished from the translation of a written text, which can be more deliberative and make use o ...

s for the US Army. In 2016, ''Smoke the Donkey: A Marine's Unlikely Friend''—a book about his life by Cate Folsom—was published by

University of Nebraska Press The University of Nebraska Press (UNP) was founded in 1941 and is an academic publisher of scholarly and general-interest books. The press is under the auspices of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the main campus of the University of Ne ...

References

{{US Warhorses navbox 2012 animal deaths Animals of the United States Marine Corps Equine therapies Individual donkeys Donkey mascots Real-life animal mascots Mascots introduced in 2012 Army mascots United States Marine Corps in the Iraq War