Reckless, Korean War Horse of the Marines

[thedrifter]

Reckless, Korean War Horse of the Marines
The career of Reckless, in brief.

from the dust jacket of Reckless, Pride of the Marines, by Andrew Geer:

Foaled by a race horse named Morning Flame, the favorite of track fans in Seoul, Korea, Reckless wins the adoration of Kim Huk Moon, a young Korean boy whose courage and perseverance had made him her mother?s devoted trainer and rider. Kim learns to love Reckless even more than he had loved Flame, and when war envelopes their country the inseparable pair leave the deserted race track and are exposed to many daring and exciting adventures together. Peace comes eventually, but not before Kim, in order to get the money to buy an artificial leg for his wounded sister, bravely makes the greatest sacrifice of his life when he sells Reckless to American Marines for use as an ammunition carrier at the front.

From the first part of the story, which describes in stirring detail the lives of Kim Huk Moon and his family in a small Korean village and Kim?s dedicated affection for the little sorrel mare, we follow Reckless through her war experiences. Bought by a Marine gun crew with their own money and trained to help them carry shells for the Recoilless Rifle which they have nicknamed ?Reckless?, she is dubbed with the same name and made their mascot. Her antics, and her insatiable appetite for such surprising tidbits as poker chips, coca cola, shredded wheat, scrambled eggs, vitamin pills, a hat or two, and her specially made blanket of red silk trimmed with gold, bring welcome amusement and relief amid the strains of combat.

Her first real test under battle conditions comes when she is led beside the thunderous rifle to which she has packed ammunition over rugged hily terrain. There were some who doubted that a horse could withstand the tremendous blast of the Recoilless Rifle and remain calm. Will she hold? Will she bolt? The gun is fired:

Wham-whoosh! The hills bellowed and rocketed with the roar. Abehind the weapon spurted a flame of dust. Though weighted down with six shells, Reckless left the ground with all four feet ... her eyes went white. ?Take it easy, Reckless,? Coleman, a Marine, soothed. Wham-whoosh! Reckless went into the air again, but not quite so far. She snorted and shook her head to stop the ringing in her ears. Wham-whoosh! She shook as the concussive blast of air struck her, but she did not rear. She stood closer to Coleman, trembling slightly, but the white was gone from her eyes.?

She had held, and from that day Reckless was an indispensable member of the gun crew, making trip after trip, often alone, from the ammunition supply point to the gun, laden with heavy shells under the most devastating enemy fire, never faltering, never failing.

So completely does Reckless capture the hearts of her Marine comrades with her beguiling shenanigans and her fearlessness that they present her with a special citation for bravery, promote her to the rank of sergeant and personally pay her way to the United States where she will enjoy well-earned retirement pastured in the rolling hills of Camp Pendleton, in California. Retirement, however, does not mean that her exploits are at an end, because the fame of Reckless has spread far and wide, and good Marines, unlike some, do not fade away. Semper fidelis, always faithful, was never a more fitting motto than in the example of this horse.


http://www.scuttlebuttsmallchow.com/mascreck.html



Sempers,

Roger

[sgtmaj88310]

November 14, 2004
by Lilly Cox
from the Back Country Horseman

CAMP PENDLETON Few stories better illustrate the military's promise to
leave no one behind than that of Staff Sgt. Reckless, a horse who became
a decorated Marine during the Korean War. Plans have begun to honor the
horse, once left behind in Korea.

A Marine officer purchased Reckless from a Korean boy who needed money to buy his sister an artificial leg,
according to Marine Lt. Col. Andrew Geer, who commanded the 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment of the 1st Division in
Korea. Geer wrote two articles about the horse for The Saturday Evening Post in the 1950s and later wrote a book,
"Reckless, the Pride of the Marines."

The horse served at the bloody Battle of Vegas after training as an ammunitions carrier, according to Geer. He wrote:
"Every yard she advanced was showered with explosives. Fifty-one times she marched through the fiery gantlet of the
Red barrage and she saved the day for the Leathernecks."

Bob Rogers, a former Navy corpsman who now lives in Kansas, remembers Reckless wandering around a military
camp in Korea wearing a blanket bearing stripes and her Purple Heart. Rogers said in a recent interview that he is
planning a statue to honor the horse. The location has yet to be decided.

Rogers said Reckless had a weakness for rations. "We'd go out for the day and return to a wrecked tent," he said.
"Reckless could smell any goodies, especially cookies, and would find them guaranteed!

"A lieutenant, myself and others were in a circle talking. Reckless came up behind one fellow and nuzzled the back
of his neck. It scared the guy, and he cussed Reckless, calling her a 'blanking nag.' The lieutenant sternly let him
know Reckless was a hero and had done more for the Marine Corps than he ever would. And since Reckless
outranked him, any further verbal abuse would be cause for disciplinary action.

"I had the honor of being in formation when Cpl. Reckless was promoted to sergeant," said Rogers, 70.

Reckless was left in South Korea as her Marine buddies returned home, but after publication of Geer's article, Post
readers and friends of the horse arranged to bring her to the United States.
In preparation for her transfer to Camp Pendleton, Geer wrote the Commandant of the Marine Corps in Washington,
D.C.:

"The undersigned is in hearty agreement that Reckless should be stationed at Camp Pendleton. . . . It should be
kept in mind, however, that this is no ordinary horse and she should have special care and attention. . . . It is
suggested her court be in the vicinity of the Commanding General's quarters and properly marked with appropriate
sign, so that all will know this to be the home of Sergeant Reckless, Pride of the Marines.

"... Her shoes should be removed and she should be allowed to go barefoot for a period of six weeks," Geer
continued. "At that time, her feet should be trimmed and new shoes fitted. Only the most knowing and patient
horseshoer should be employed. Sergeant Reckless is extremely proud of her feet and will not stand for inexpert
attention. Several Korean horseshoers will painfully attest to this statement."

The memo continued, "During the extreme heat of Korea, when potable water was scarce or non-existent, Reckless
came to know and like certain liquids other than water. She is fond of coca cola and milk. Under the stress of battle
she has been known to drink beer."

Geer cautioned the commandant about a producer with plans to portray Reckless as a chatty horse modeled after
the 1950 movie, "Francis, the Talking Mule." "One is a Hollywood clown and the other a gallant Marine who won
honors in one of the bloodiest battles fought by American troops," he wrote.

In 1959, five years after arriving at Camp Pendleton, Reckless was promoted to a staff sergeant, according to a
November 1992 article in Leatherneck magazine. Reckless died in 1968 and was survived by three offspring.

For information about plans for the statue honoring Reckless, e-mail rogers-bc@terraworld.net.

[Jerry D]

to Reckless ,pride of the Marines!