The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is an independent branch of the US armed forces. The unit was established in November 1775, and the first branch of this unit was formed a year later. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, US Marines served primarily in the region of South and Central America, guarding American interests in this part of the world. It was also then that the principle was established that it was the USMC that was deployed to the area of operations as the first among other units of the US armed forces. Corps soldiers fought in World War I, but they gained special fame in the course of bloody and heavy fights in the Pacific in 1941-1945, taking part in such battles as Guadalcanal (1942-1943), Tarawa (1943), Iwo-Jima and Okinawa (both from 1945). Often in the face of the enemy, the soldiers of this formation showed a lot of courage, an example of which can be, for example, John Basilone was awarded the Medal of Honor for his accomplishment during the battles on the Gudalcanal. After 1945, the soldiers of the Corps fought, for example, in the Korean War (1950-1953) or especially in the Vietnam War (1964 / 1965-1975), suffering heavy losses in the latter war. After the end of the Cold War, USMC soldiers took part in, for example, both Gulf Wars (1990-1991 and 2003). Currently, there are 182,000 soldiers in the Corps, and about 38,500 in the reserve. The motto of the Corps is the Latin motto Semper Fidelis (Polish always faithful).
The M274 Mechanical Mule is an American light transport vehicle from the post-war era. The first copies of this vehicle appeared in the mid 1950s, and serial production continued in 1956-1970. Approximately 11,300 vehicles of this type were built in its course. In the basic version, the drive was provided by a single Willys AO4-4-53 engine with 16 HP.
The M274 vehicle was developed to complement the Willys Jeep and Dodge M-37 vehicles in paratroopers and infantry units. The M274 was primarily used to transport machine guns, mortars and loads weighing up to 250 kilograms. It was also used to evacuate the wounded from the battlefield, as well as transport up to 7 soldiers. Vehicles of this type were used on a large scale in the Vietnam War (1964 / 1965-1975), during which recoilless guns and machine guns were often mounted on them. The M274 remained in service with the US Army until the 1980s.