Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
USA Today
November 27, 2006
Pg. 18
Ceremonial steeds on auction block 'served with honor'
By Kelley Shannon, Associated Press
AUSTIN (AP) — They aren't the usual military surplus goods auctioned online, like scrap metal, airplane parts or fancy tents.
Rojo and Ninety-Nine are 10-year-old quarter horses who have been ceremonial mounts in the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood in Texas, and now they're heading into retirement.
The Defense Department's online-auction contractor says it's looking for a loving home where the horses will have plenty of room to roam.
"They certainly have served with honor, and we want to make sure they're taken care of," said Tom Burton, president and chief operating officer of Government Liquidation, which contracts with the government to sell military surplus items online.
Those considering buying the animals can view their photographs and descriptions on the company's website, govliquidation.com. Sealed bids will be accepted through Dec. 7.
Rojo has chronic lameness and is suitable for light riding or as a pasture companion for another horse. Ninety-Nine has some nervousness and a varying temperament, making him best suited for an experienced rider, according to the auction company. Both have been ridden in ceremonies and parades as part of the 1st Cavalry Division's horse detachment, Burton said.
The last active U.S. horse cavalry was in the late 1800s. The horse detachment at Fort Hood, a post about 70 miles north of Austin, represents the Army in public appearances and is used in recruiting efforts and in promoting cavalry history, according to a description on Fort Hood's website.
The last horses auctioned by Government Liquidation sold in the range of $500 to $2,000, Burton said. Like all the online auction items, bidding starts at $50.
Government Liquidation auctions items that run the gamut from novel to routine — including Harley-Davidson motorcycles, hospital and dental equipment and fitness gear.
It receives about 10,000 items per week. Some of it is surplus merchandise from commissaries, or stores on military bases.
The company sells leftover property turned in by the Defense Department that is no longer needed by the government.
"That item can be a horse, or it can be 500 bowling pins," Burton said. "It really is just a smorgasbord every week."
November 27, 2006
Pg. 18
Ceremonial steeds on auction block 'served with honor'
By Kelley Shannon, Associated Press
AUSTIN (AP) — They aren't the usual military surplus goods auctioned online, like scrap metal, airplane parts or fancy tents.
Rojo and Ninety-Nine are 10-year-old quarter horses who have been ceremonial mounts in the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood in Texas, and now they're heading into retirement.
The Defense Department's online-auction contractor says it's looking for a loving home where the horses will have plenty of room to roam.
"They certainly have served with honor, and we want to make sure they're taken care of," said Tom Burton, president and chief operating officer of Government Liquidation, which contracts with the government to sell military surplus items online.
Those considering buying the animals can view their photographs and descriptions on the company's website, govliquidation.com. Sealed bids will be accepted through Dec. 7.
Rojo has chronic lameness and is suitable for light riding or as a pasture companion for another horse. Ninety-Nine has some nervousness and a varying temperament, making him best suited for an experienced rider, according to the auction company. Both have been ridden in ceremonies and parades as part of the 1st Cavalry Division's horse detachment, Burton said.
The last active U.S. horse cavalry was in the late 1800s. The horse detachment at Fort Hood, a post about 70 miles north of Austin, represents the Army in public appearances and is used in recruiting efforts and in promoting cavalry history, according to a description on Fort Hood's website.
The last horses auctioned by Government Liquidation sold in the range of $500 to $2,000, Burton said. Like all the online auction items, bidding starts at $50.
Government Liquidation auctions items that run the gamut from novel to routine — including Harley-Davidson motorcycles, hospital and dental equipment and fitness gear.
It receives about 10,000 items per week. Some of it is surplus merchandise from commissaries, or stores on military bases.
The company sells leftover property turned in by the Defense Department that is no longer needed by the government.
"That item can be a horse, or it can be 500 bowling pins," Burton said. "It really is just a smorgasbord every week."